Read the passage - 'Toward a Modern School Calendar' - and answer the question below:

Toward a Modern School Calendar

Toward a Modern School Calendar

Why do American schools allow students to take summers off? Why not fall or spring? The
answer lies in the nation’s farming past, when schools established a substantial break during
the harvest period. This was no summer vacation. Students put down their books and
worked in the fields gathering crops. As the population of the United States migrated from
rural areas to cities, the economy depended more on manufacturing and less on agriculture.
Urban parents working as engineers, nurses, or merchants no longer needed children to
contribute labor. Still, the school calendar remained unchanged. This leaves us with the
question of whether the nine-month school year meets the economic and educational
needs of the twenty-first century.

Is there any reason for students to take a vacation lasting several months? How does such a
vacation affect student learning? About twenty years ago, the federal government funded a
study that has yet to change the way school districts structure vacation days. The study
showed that, in order for students to learn all that is required, more time in school is
needed. The current lengthy summer break interrupts learning. It also forces teachers to
spend precious time at the beginning of each school year reviewing lessons that had been
forgotten over the summer. Anyone would agree that it is better to complete a lesson all at
once than to keep returning to it over and over again. If we do not find a way to remedy this
problem, student performance will likely slip lower than ever before.

Not only does the current calendar erect obstacles for learning, but it creates problems for
families. Working parents are especially affected, as they must find suitable summer day
care for children. Some parents are able to afford special camps that focus on the arts,
mathematics, or science. Others are not, and these children return to school in the fall less
prepared. A change in the school calendar might be one way to help these students make
better progress in school.

Ultimately, we must accept that the American society has transformed itself from its
agricultural roots. Our society should stop accommodating an industry that no longer
dominates our economy. As our society continues to change, more knowledge and skill will
be required from today’s students. These students will become tomorrow’s innovators,
leaders, and workers. It is time for our society to bring the antiquated school calendar into
the twenty-first century. It is more difficult to succeed in school today than ever before. Not
only must our society catch up, but students need more class time so that they can catch up.
Several options would allow us to accomplish that goal.

Eliminating a long summer vacation and distributing student breaks throughout the year is
one option. The total amount of class time stays the same. All that changes is when this
class time occurs. While this wouldn’t solve the problem entirely, it would help prevent
students from wasting so much time reviewing lessons learned the previous year.
I am acquainted with two people who attended a school with this kind of alternative
schedule. They both graduated with excellent grades and went on to be very successful.
Another option is to reduce the number of vacation days as well as modify the calendar. This
slight increase in class time could result in learning gains. Further studies should consider
how to create a calendar most likely to enhance student learning. Studies should also
address students’ needs for leisure time, and how much time off would be beneficial for
students. With this kind of research data and careful thought, we can adjust the school
calendar to meet the needs of contemporary America.

Supporters of changing the school calendar originally called the alternative schedule “year-
round school.” This title both misleads and alienates students and teachers. It creates the
mistaken impression that school is held every day of the year. Instead, we need a program
that simply distributes vacation days differently. A better title for this schedule would be
“The Contemporary Calendar.” This reflects more accurately the main challenge of school
scheduling: the need to exchange an obsolete calendar for one that meets the demands of
modern life.