Most schools in the U.S. follow the traditional school calendar, with around nine months of school, big seasonal holidays, and summer breaks. Recently, there has been a rise in the number of schools that started implementing the “year-round” system, which utilizes a series of small breaks throughout the year in order to keep students more consistently in school. Those who support the system point out the fact that many students in the standard school calendar forget the content they consumed during the school year over long breaks, especially throughout the extensive summer break. Others who support the year-round education system also say that the students who are a part of year-round school perform better through learning consistently at school, as shown in a study by the NIH. However, the studies on enhanced academic performance of year-round schools that exist don’t have clear evidence that it would benefit the majority of students in school. Rather, it has been studied that those from lower-income families or schools with less resources may benefit. The lack of any research that demonstrates a clear need for a year-round education for most schools strongly suggests that Andover will not need to consider or partake in the new school system that has recently been gaining traction. This is because Andover’s system for learning helps prevent students from forgetting what they learned, and the time that year-round school takes away from students will only negatively affect them.
As a Junior, something that I immediately noticed was the discussion-packed way of learning in my classes. I noticed that the main form of learning here was often made up of discussions with my fellow peers and teachers. Not only did this method of learning provide a much more engaging way to learn new content, it also helped me and my peers recall things even after long periods of time. This contrasted greatly with what it was like in my public middle school. I was used to a system where memorization was valued, so it was easy to simply forget the information that I had crammed into my head. After returning from the Thanksgiving and Winter breaks, I didn’t find it difficult to dive straight back into classes because I could retain the information I learned before break. Although it has taken me and my classmates some time to readjust ourselves for school after the extensive summer break, that transition period is miniscule, and the cons to year-round school combat the issue of a long summer vacation.
A problem that arises when considering year-round school for a diverse place like Andover is that going to school throughout the entirety of the year will distance students from their families, especially for those from far away places. 75% of the school is comprised of boarding students, with many coming from out of state and even the country. It is simply not feasible to have international students stay at nearby hotels, rental places, etc. due to many reasons, like the cost of doing so. Andover itself also doesn’t have the resources, like having a large number of consistent host families to help house the international student body over the shorter breaks. Although our education and being part of the Andover community are important, it’s also crucial that all students have sufficient time to maintain strong relationships with their community back home. This issue isn’t just for boarding students either. Although day students return home every night, the year-round school system will still cause them to be on campus frequently, limiting the amount of time they get to spend with family. Having longer breaks spaced throughout the school year guarantees students quality time to spend with their family and friends.
Another conflict with the year-round school system is that in the summer, many Andover students will participate in amazing summer programs that call to the curiosity and willingness to learn that every student here possesses. The year-round school system will prevent students from attending the majority of summer programs because they lack time. Although Andover offers many opportunities to learn about a diverse array of different topics and subjects, there’s always more to explore and learn, which can be found in summer programs or camps. I personally plan on attending a music program over the summer in order to further refine my skills as a musician, and many students will also go to programs that interest them. Often, these programs span across several weeks to ensure that their participants can immerse themselves in the programs’ offerings, but having school year-round eliminates the option of attending such camps, and this can easily dampen or diminish the passions of many Andover students.
Although year-round school calendars are starting to be implemented into more schools across the United States with good intentions, Andover’s students will continue to thrive with the traditional system while fostering their yearning to learn and steadily building healthy relationships with the people in their lives.
