School year rushes students’ learning
9
5
In California, the law states that students must attend school for 180 days. With this limited amount of time, it is difficult for students to fully comprehend and absorb the information, even though they are expected to do so. Thus, the state should implement an increase in school days to help students take in the information they are given.
With only 180 days, students are forced to move from subject to subject, even though they may not have fully grasped each lesson, due to the strict schedule the teacher has to follow. If the school year was longer, there would be more time in the schedule for hands-on activities and projects for the students to experience a different method of learning, instead of the traditional lectures, homework, and tests. These different activities would help engage the students who have a difficult time learning with only lectures, homework assignments, and tests.
Balsz Elementary School District in Phoenix has extended its school year from 180 to 200 days. With its prolonged school year, the district has seen much improvement. For example, the district has seen much improvement in the state testing and the failing rates are dropping. This shows that a longer school year is more effective for the student’s learning and that the students absorb the information more effectively when they have more time, which in turn, helps them be more successful in the upcoming school year.
Although many students may not want a longer school year because they find school boring and exhausting, the extended year would allow for more time for interactive projects, experiments, and student collaboration, which would allow school to be more engaging. A longer, more fun school year could essentially counteract the idea that school is boring, making the students more encouraged to go to school and be more involved when they are learning.
Because of the limited time, teachers have difficulty making sure that their students have adequate knowledge to move onto the next grade. If school is a place for students to learn and if they are forced to proceed to a new topic, without fully comprehending the previous topic, then there should not be a need for school. Therefore, the state government should raise the number of school days to at least 200 days. This will give more time for teachers to cover each lesson thoroughly and implement enjoyable projects and activities.
