The one day that we all probably looked forward to most during our time in K-12 was the last day of school. From then on we would be treated to three months of warm weather and hours and hours of free time to do whatever we wanted. Summer vacation is a staple in American schools both private and public, but why do we get the months of June through August off?
Well according to PBS, for a long time there were essentially two different schedules: one for kids in urban areas and one for kids in rural areas. For kids in rural areas, the school year followed the agrarian calendar, where there was less time spent in schools during the fall and spring for planting and harvesting, compared to the winter and summer. However, the schedule for kids in urban areas was quite different. For children in cities, the school was open well over 200 days out of the year. Children would simply go to school when they could. Although, before air conditioning, classrooms could become very hot, and wealthier children were often pulled out of school during the summer. Then, later in the 19th Century, advocates for education reform demanded a standardization of the school calendar, so a compromise was reached, and our current school year was created.
Now, you may have heard that other countries spend much more time in school than kids do in the US, because they don’t have a summer break. However, according to the National Center For Education Statistics, American children spend an average amount of time in schools compared to their peers abroad. For example, American 13 year olds spend about 1000 hours in school, compared to 900 for Japanese students, and almost 1200 for Taiwanese students. Our breaks are similar as well, with many european countries having about 10-12 weeks off during the year. Despite the equal time spent in schools, America only ranked 27th in the world for education in 2018, according to Insider. They claim that this may be because of a lack of proper funding for elementary and high school students.
Although the amount of time spent in American schools is comparable to other nations, there are still issues with a full summer off. According to the Colorado Department of Education, there is a phenomenon known as the “summer slide,” wherein students, particularly low income students lose a lot of the progress that they made during the previous school year over the summer. However, there is another issue with a full summer off. I know from my parents who are both public school teachers that a lot of low income students depend on school breakfast and lunches for their meals, and oftentimes to keep them out of unsafe, or unhealthy home lives. There is not anything particularly wrong with how schools in the US divide their time up during the year, but there are some serious drawbacks that need to be considered. We all enjoy our summer vacations, but we may need to think of the possible benefits of dividing that time off throughout the year.
The school calendar, especially the large break in summer, is a large problem that needs to be addressed. The fact America is only ranked 27th in the world for education even though we spend a similar amount of time is concerning. I like how you use very relevant statistics and information in your blog. I also like how the information was displayed and conveyed because it made the blog much more readable and engaging.
It’s pretty rational and fortunate that we have our summer breaks; while air conditioning (or lack thereof) back then was the main rational, we students just need a mental break from working and studying constantly. Additionally, I liked that you highlighted the struggles underprivileged children go through during summer breaks because we often only think of the joys of break and never really appreciate school for what is it unlike these folks. Hopefully, better welfare opportunities are provided for these children so that their summers aren’t about the dire need for survival and instead a time of happiness.
This was a really interesting read. I sometimes worry about losing what I’ve learned after summer break. I was definitely privileged to have a parent who worked within the school system that was able to stay home with me during summers. It makes me wonder if spreading breaks throughout the year would help with some of the issues we face with the current school calendar.