Wendy King

SLM 521

Course Module #1

Year-Round Schooling: A Great Debate

Introduction:

The concept of year-round schooling has sparked a great debate among educators and students across the nation. Some people claim that a year-round school would enable students to continually refresh their skills and not experience a great loss of information from a long summer vacation. On the other hand, some people feel that year-round schooling would create a nightmare for families who try to maintain a regular schedule throughout the year and then enjoy traditional family vacations in the summer.

Objectives:

Teachers and students will be able to familiarize themselves with online course modules and online discussions that are featured in virtually every online class. They will also be able to read through a multitude of information on a topic related to their career and voice their opinion on the idea of year-round schooling.

ISTE Standards:

III C-apply technology to develop student’s higher order skills and creativity

IV A- apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques

IV B- use technology resources to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve instructional practice and maximize student learning.

Activities:

Before reading ahead, think about what you may already know about year-round schooling. Does it appeal to you at this point? Does the idea of giving up your long summers and having more breaks throughout the year sound any good? Think about your current stance on the concept of year-round schooling.

Readings & Discussion:

To begin this activity, click on the link below to obtain some background knowledge on how year-round schooling works.

http://www.nwrel.org/request/feb97/article5.html

Using the links below, read some of the articles on year-round schooling. Be sure to read articles that are for and against year-round schooling to help you identify the pros and cons with this style of education.

Links to Articles:

Traditional Calendar or Year Round School?

Contains facts about year-round schooling and the impact it has on cost effectiveness, academic review time, and school improvement.

http://www.auburn.edu/~enebasa/html/issues.pp.html

Year Round Schooling: Good or Bad?

This article contains advantages and disadvantages with year-round schools compared to the traditional school calendar.

http://ematusov.soe.udel.edu/final.paper.pub/_pwfsfp/00000116.htm

BCTF Research Reports: Cost Effectiveness of Year-Round Schooling

This article presents information on the cost effectiveness of year-round schooling.

http://www.bctf.bc.ca/ResearchReports/95ei02/

Year Round Schooling and other school resources at FamilyEducation.com

Find pros and cons with year-round schooling here.

http://school.familyeducation.com/experimental-education/educational-innovation/36099.html

Assignment:

After reading over the information contained in the links above, write an essay of about 250 words stating your thoughts on

year-round education. Include your original stance on the issue, at least 3 pro and 3 con statements on the topic, and your final opinion about it.

Submission:

You may present this assignment as a Word document and email it to your instructor. Include the title of your essay and your last name in the subject line.

Rubric:

Use this as a guide to determine how you can achieve your desired outcome on this activity.

Weak	Getting There	Way to Go!
The essay discusses your opinion on the topic but does not give supporting details or offer any pro or con statements on the issue.	The essay features your opinion on the topic and includes pro and con statements but lacks supporting details and polished writing.	The essay includes your opinions on the issue before and after conducting your research. It provides pro and con statements on the topic and is well written.