In Defense of ... Year-Round Schooling

Have you ever considered what would be different if we threw out schooling as we know it and started over today? What if we started a school system from scratch and built it anew from the ground up? 

The American educational model was developed centuries ago, in a mostly agrarian society with little research on learning theory and developmental psychology. Looking at our culture today and what we know now, how would school be different? Drop all your preconceived notions and past schooling experiences and simply ask yourself ... what is best for students, teachers, and learning?

I imagine that we'd look at all aspects of education very differently if we had the freedom to start over ... In fact, I actually wonder what, if anything, would remain the same.

One area that I'd like to consider in this blog is the school year calendar.

Having a nine month school calendar and summers without school comes directly from an agrarian society that needed children to work on the family farm, but is this model best for learning?

In this blog, I'd like to propose a "year-round schooling" model for education today. Below are listed a few points in defense of year-round schooling.

The Proposal:

Schools should follow a Year-Round Calendar with the following elements ...

• Approximately 180 days of school (same as the current American school year)
• Four days of school each week (Tuesday through Friday)
• A week of vacation in each season ... Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer
• Two additional weeks off for students in August for school staff to wrap up one year, transition, and launch the next year.

Here are some of the reasons why ...

1. Year-Round Schooling Would Reduce the Hectic Pace of School.

It has been said that "schools begin the year with 'the pedal to the metal' and just pick up speed from there." While hyperbolic, this quote does represent the feeling that many educators have about the pace of the school calendar. Most school systems are on a crazy, breakneck pace leaving many educators exhausted at the end of the year, thus needing two months in the summer to recover. 

Imagine a car speeding down the road and then abruptly crashing into a concrete wall; schools are designed like that, and we spend the summers rebuilding the car to do the same thing the following year. It is truly go ... go ... go as fast as you can until you come to a complete stop at the end of the term/year. Who ever thought that was a good idea?

Today, teachers are on a frantic pace to get through material before the next break or end of the term; this causes additional stress and pressure on everyone which inhibits learning. A year-round calendar would allow teachers to go as slow or fast as needed for the students, knowing that the learning will continue rather than come to a complete stop.

Instead of five days a week for nine months and zero days a week for three months, a healthier option would be to have a four day school week with every weekend being a long weekend. This would allow students and staff to spend a long weekend with their families, relax/recover from the previous week, and prepare for the week ahead. Most of educators and students cherish our long weekends and the consistency of every weekend being a long weekend would allow families to plan on and count on this time together.

    Why Mondays Off?  Some schools are moving to four day school weeks, and most have selected to

    take Fridays off. My proposal has Mondays off instead for a few reasons: 

• Most national holidays are on Monday, so schools that take Fridays off lose two days of learning on holiday weeks.
• If you are a Christian, the Bible calls us to a sabbath rest on Sunday. This is difficult for educators and students if they have to prepare for classes Monday.
• Friday (not Monday) is typically the night for school events, like Friday night football, school dances, and concerts.

A year-round school calendar will also allow schools to be more flexible in how they spend those four days each week, building in extended time for enrichment blocks, wellness activities, social emotional learning, and faith formation. Slowing down the pace of schooling by extending the school year to twelve months will help everyone's social-emotional and physical wellness.

2. Year-Round Schooling Would Help Families in Financial Need.

Many schools provide a lifeline for families in financial need, and a year-round calendar would help cover the difficult summer months and extended breaks during the year.

• School Lunch Programs: Over 21 million students received free school lunches, a service provided to those families who struggle financially. According to the 2021 census data cited in the article, "National School Lunch Program still an Important Part of Safety Net" (Dongo & Monte 2022), this translates to over 38% of all households with school age children receiving free lunches and over 50% of households who struggle financially relying on this service. What happens to these students/families during the summer months? A change to year-round schooling would help to support these families with food needs.
• Summer Day Care: Many families who struggle financially are hit especially hard during the summer months as they have to find day care for their children while they work. By moving to a year-round school calendar, these days off are limited to Mondays, and schools can provide day care / day camps on these days in a more consistent fashion.
• HVAC: While much of the country swelters in the summer months and freezes in the winter, families who struggle financially are less likely to have sufficient HVAC systems. Having school during the summer months would ensure children have access to air conditioning during these months; the same is true with only a one week break during the winter (instead of two), students would have a warm place to go in case they do not have sufficient heat in their homes.

3. Year-Round Schooling is Better for Learning.

 

Learning loss happens during the summer as students take an extended brain break. Each fall, teachers spend a good amount of time reviewing and re-teaching due to the time spent away from school during the summer. A year-round school calendar would help students maintain and retain their learning from the year. Active brains are healthy brains, and during the summer months far too many student brains are spent in "off" mode. 

Also, school calendars have become more random and choppy with a couple days off here and a couple days off there, longer breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring, with extended weekends around holidays. Students need consistency in learning, especially for learning maintenance, extended units, and lessons that build upon each other. A year-round calendar would provide more weeks of four days of learning and educators and students can plan on those weeks.

In most subjects, deep learning is a "slow-cooking" rather than a "microwaving" process. Students often need time to sit with a concept for it to "stick" and could use a long weekend to reflect on their learning. In fact, reflection is key to student learning, as John Dewey said, "We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience." 

 

4. Co-Curricular Activities Continue Through the Calendar Year.

Powerful learning happens outside the classroom in music, theater, athletics, and clubs. Often these activities are dropped during the summer months, especially for families who cannot afford private lessons and club sports programs. 

Each co-curricular program at the school would benefit from a year-round calendar. A student just beginning to play a musical instrument could continue through the summer months with an expert teacher by his/her side. An athlete could pick up an additional sport to play during the summer, creating a fourth season ... one state (Iowa) actually has a summer sports season already (baseball and softball). A calendar change to four seasons may also allow a rest week between seasons for athletes involved in multiple sports. 

5. Year-Round Schooling Prepares Students for Life.

Education should prepare students for life, teaching them healthy rhythms that become lifelong habits. One of the unintended and detrimental lessons being taught by the structure of the current American educational system is that there is an end to learning; this message is communicated through the school calendar and our assessment practices. Instead, the message we want to portray is that learning is a continual life-long process; one lesson builds upon previous lessons and leads to future learning. A year-round school calendar promotes a lifelong learning paradigm, and hopefully will help students embrace continual learning.

Learning within a year-round calendar also parallels the biblical model of discipleship education. This is found in both the Old Testament, Hebraic model of "training up a child in the way he should go" and the New Testament model of Jesus doing life with his disciples ... walking, talking, living and learning together. The discipleship education model portrays an ongoing, lifelong learning experience ... one that doesn't end.

Finally, a year-round calendar also more closely resembles a normal work schedule. Very few professions (especially outside of education) have two months off during the summer . Full-time work with limited vacation days tends to be a shock for recent college graduates who have spent 16+ years in schools with "summer vacation." Although the year-round model that I presented doesn't exactly resemble a 50 weeks-a-year job, it would prepare students better as they transition to full-time employment.

6. Year-Round Schooling Could Increase the Total Number of School Days.

In my proposed model, I kept the total number of school days the same. For American schools that number is approximately 180 days. However, a new model would allow educational leaders to have a conversation about increasing the number of school days. Is there correlation/causation between the number of school days and the quality of education? This is a more complex debate than can be addressed in this blog, but America (with 180 school days) is on the lower end of countries with developed educational systems.   

• According to THIS REPORT from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), American states vary on the number of required school days from 160 (Colorado) to 185 (North Carolina) with the majority of states requiring 180 school days.
•  According to THIS REPORT from the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), countries with developed educational systems have between 175 (Estonia) to 220 (South Korea) school days per year.

It would not be too difficult to increase the number of school days (e.g. add 1 or 2 Mondays a month), thus, moving us closer to the top of the list of nations in regards to number of required school days.

Regardless if you agree or disagree with my assertions in this article, now is the time to have these conversations about how we "do school differently" in the 21st Century. 

What would you change if you were building a school system from scratch?

Leaving the Pandemic Tunnel

I remember traveling across the country with my young family and the buzz of excitement when we approached a mountain tunnel. "Honk your horn ... honk your horn!" my kids would scream from the back seat. In later years, we would all try to hold our breath through the entire tunnel. The most impressive mountain tunnel that I've experienced is Colorado's Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel, a 1.6 mile engineering feat passing directly under the Continental Divide at 11,000 feet altitude ... don't try to hold your breath through this one, especially if you are driving!  

While many tunnels (like the Eisenhower) are safely lit with sufficiently wide lanes, some are dark and dangerous with oncoming traffic; regardless of the tunnel, you are wise to slow down, stay in your lane, and keep your hands securely on the steering wheel until you exit the tunnel. 

As we seek to describe what the COVID-19 pandemic felt like for educators, I keep coming back to this image shared by a teacher at my school. "The pandemic felt like a long, dark tunnel ... that we are finally exiting." How true!

The Pandemic was a Long, Dark Tunnel

I remember starting the school year 2019-2020 with excitement, ready to tackle new initiatives ... an open road with so many paths available to us. Then, in March 2020, we entered the Pandemic Tunnel. This was a brand new tunnel that nobody had traveled before. Initially, most thought that this was going to be a short one ... two weeks to "flatten the curve" and then a month. Like driving through a dark tunnel, schools slowed down, stayed in their lane, and just held on tight to the steering wheel. Unfortunately, this tunnel was longer than anyone anticipated, and most schools stayed the course.  Growth initiatives were tabled (or outright dropped) as administrators diverted funds to air purification systems, personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies, and educational technology to pivot over to remote learning. 

National, state, and local health officials were excavating the tunnel just ahead of the schools, often blindly selecting pickaxes or dynamite to break through this dark mountain. And then it happened ... late in 2021, those tunneling seemed to find the right path, and we began to see a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. For educators, the Spring of 2022 felt like we were exiting a dark tunnel, our eyes hurting from the bright light, causing us to stumble some to find our way, collectively taking a deep breath, and cautiously proceeding not sure what we will find as we leave the tunnel.

Yes, indeed, the COVID-19 Pandemic was like a dark tunnel that we are thankfully leaving behind us.  

Now what?

As cars leave a tunnel, they pick up speed, change lanes, take different routes, and are able to reach their individual destinations. It may be obvious, but cars leaving a tunnel must first know their destination before they change lanes or pick up speed. This is the same for schools ... they must have a strong understanding of their destination in order to pick up speed, change lanes, or take the correct roads leaving the pandemic.

Lead out of the Pandemic

Schools that will thrive in the next five years are ones that lead out of the pandemic. Hopefully, in the midst of managing learning in a pandemic, school leaders have been keeping their eye on their purpose, their destination. This is the time to revisit and re-envision the strategic plan (that many schools shelved in 2020), mission/vision statements, and your purpose. If school leaders have not been thinking post-pandemic, they will not lead out of the pandemic; they will need to regroup and take time to assess initiatives and write a roadmap to their destination. Leaving the pandemic tunnel is the time to accelerate and take advantage of the "open road" of education after the pandemic ... but only if you know your destination!

Likewise, teachers that will thrive coming out of the pandemic are ones that reconnect with their "why" (i.e., their professional purpose or destination). I hope that educators spent this summer recharging after a long couple years in the pandemic, but I hope that they spent even more time reflecting and re-affirming their "why." Why did you become a teacher? What is your professional purpose? 

If you haven't spent time on your "why" this summer, you still have time ... re-read one of those books that first got you excited about teaching (or discover a new one!).  Here are a few ...

• Courage to Teach (P. Palmer)
• Educating for Life (N. Wolterstorff) 
• Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire (R. Esquith)
• The First Days of School (H. Wong & R. Wong)
• What Teachers Make (T. Mali)
• Teaching Redemptively (D. Graham)
• Teaching from the Heart (S. Draper)
• Teach Like a Pirate (D. Burgess)
• Flourishing Together (L. Swaner & A. Wolfe)

I bet you have one of those books on your shelf ... get reading!

Why? (a quick answer)

Our students need you to embody the teacher you were when you started ... caring, supportive, energetic, genuine, and present. Students traveled through the Pandemic Tunnel too, and this was traumatic for them. Many do not remember pre-pandemic school ... they are still stumbling out on the other side of the tunnel, unsure what post-pandemic learning looks like.  

Show them!  Remind yourself first and then show them.

Have a great year!

Becoming a Strengths-Oriented Educator

Most of us are familiar with a deficit-based educational model; teachers (and school systems) identify weaknesses in students and then work on those weaknesses. If a student did not master a skill or knowledge set on the diagnostic assessment (pre-test), they receive instruction on the areas they got wrong so that they can pass that section.

American education has been traditionally oriented to focus on weaknesses; while identifying areas of growth is essential to student learning, becoming a strengths-oriented educator will enhance and enrich student learning and the learning environment. Educators and school systems need to shift from a deficit-based to a strengths-oriented educational model.

Here is a video by Marcus Buckingham that provides an introduction to a strengths-oriented perspective on education and life with the example of how selecting the right musical instrument makes all the difference. 

• The Truth About You

What is a Strengths-Oriented Education?

Quite simply, a strengths-oriented educational model is one in which educators and school systems identify the strengths of the student (rather than weaknesses) and provide learning experiences to encourage growth in the areas of strength. The goal is to move students from good to great rather than from bad to average. Becoming a strengths-oriented educator may seem like a drastic change, but hopefully, this blog will help you see minor changes to adopt to make that shift.

We, as educators, are well-practiced in a deficit model of education ... identify weaknesses, set goals/activities to work on those weaknesses, and then provide feedback on how they did. Ironically, these same steps can be used effectively from a strengths perspective:

1. Identify Strengths
2. Design Differentiated Lessons to Grow the Strengths
3. Provide Positive Feedback

What a Strengths-Oriented Education is NOT

Before looking at the steps of becoming a strengths-oriented educator, let me mention what a strengths perspective in education is NOT.

1. A strengths-orientation is NOT a fixed mindset.

Sometimes "strengths" are misused to encourage a fixed mindset (i.e. "I am what I am and I can't change" or "I'm good at it, and I don't need to work hard to improve"). It is important to maintain a growth mindset with a strengths orientation. In fact, I like using the term "gifts" when talking about the qualities or areas in which students naturally excel. It implies a natural gift (from God) that is not yet a "strength." Chip Anderson, a pioneer in StrengthsFinder and strengths education, used the following formula to emphasize the focused work needed to develop gifts into strengths.

Gifts + Effort/Focus => Strengths

This formula dovetails with Ericsson's (1990) research that 10,000 hours are needed to become an expert at something. Whether you accept Ericsson's specific findings or not, the concept is the same ... in order to develop gifts into strengths, one needs to put effort and focus into those gifts.

2. A strengths-orientation is NOT about Independence but rather Interdependence

When you talk about strengths, some may assume that "strengths" is synonymous with independence. In the American society, a "strong" person is celebrated because he/she doesn't need to rely on others; however, this is a fallacy in learning and life. In order to be successful, we need to be dependent upon others ... or rather interdependent with others. In a successful team, each person needs to excel in their area of strength and depend on others to excel in their respective area of strength. 

    

The metaphor of an orchestra is an apt one of interdependence; an orchestra performs a beautiful symphony only when each member of the orchestra plays his/her instrument with excellence.  Another example of flourishing through interdependence is shown in the biblical image of the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:12-27). Each person is a different part of the body, and the body only flourishes if every part functions effectively. God did not create super-humans, but rather imperfect individuals gifted in different areas that need to rely on each other. A strengths-orientation will help to encourage this biblical concept in education. 

What does a Strengths-Oriented Educator Do Differently?

Strengths Identification & Celebration

The first step in becoming a strengths-oriented educator is to get to know the students well (as early as possible); one needs to know the students in order to identify strengths. This, of course, is academic but it also includes personality traits and passions (what do they love to do).

• Academic Strengths -- schools regularly use tools to identify academic strengths.
• Diagnostic Assessment -- one of more underutilized assessment tools is the diagnostic test (pre-test). While this can be done formally or informally, it is a vital step before lesson design can happen in a differientiated manner. What are students able to already do or what do they already know? Spend time finding this out, and celebrate those who are already academically strong ... and don't make them sit idly by while the rest of the class learns the material!
• Formative Assessment -- Excellent strengths-oriented educators use a wide variety of formative assessment tools to frequently check student understanding asking, "what have you learned so far?" or "how well do you understand?" This could be in-class checks or homework assignments, but it must be an essential part of strengths identification.
• What is your favorite subject? What do you love to do outside of school? -- Just asking these simple questions can help an educator identify what students love and are passionate about ... give them more of that class, subject, topic.
• Character Strengths
• CliftonStrengths -- Every "strengths" conversation must begin with Gallop's CliftonStrengths or StrengthsFinder, a fee-based inventory that identifies 34 strengths. This is a powerful tool supported by a plethora of research and resources for educators.
• Values in Action -- This is a free inventory of 24 character strengths and also provides great research and resources to use in education.
• Additional tools like the Enneagram, High5 Test, or Myers-Briggs can also be used to identify personality/character strengths of students.
• Character Awards -- Schools do not need to use an online tool to identify strengths; many schools recognize honorable characteristics in students through awards. This is a great way to identify and celebrate character strengths so that students can focus on those areas throughout the year (don't wait until the end of the year to identify / celebrate them). 
• Discipline Specific Awards -- Similarly, each teacher/department could recognize students who excel in specific subjects areas. Flip the script in your teacher's lounge by asking, who is your best student? 

Differentiate Lesson Design

The premise of differentiation comes from a strengths perspective. The question to students is no longer "Are you smart?" but rather "How are you smart?" That is a strengths-oriented question. Educators differentiate to allow students to learn (and show how they have learned) in their area of strength. 

• Differentiate Up. Educators typically differentiate down, meaning that they identify the students that are struggling and design an additional learning experience for them ... to get everyone at the same level (albeit a low/mediocre level). Rather differentiate up for excellence, moving students from good to great. Find the strengths in every student and place them in a differentiation group. For example, four groups could be students who excel in writing, video production, hands-on projects, and debate. Each group could have a wide range of academic ability but they are placed in groups that that can flourish. 
• Interdependent Groups. Once student strengths are identified place those with different strengths into groups to complement each other ... again a powerful message on interdependence, e.g. a good writer is placed with a good video producer, a good project manager, and a good debater.  Now, that is both a strong team and a taste of a future workplace team.
• Enrich in areas they are strong. Instead of giving remedial work in areas that they got wrong, give slightly more challenging work in areas in which they got right.
• Most textbooks over-supply teachers with projects, questions, assignments ... utilize those resources to keep students challenged in their areas of strength. 
• Provide enrichment through online resources. Encourage students to explore MOOCs (massive open online courses), online websites (e.g. Khan Academy), or partner with a local online provider to allow students to take courses in their areas of interest.
• Establish "genius bars" where the students who understand the material become tutors for those who need a little extra support. Make sure that all students have an opportunity to be a "genius" during the term.

Positive Feedback

Feedback educators give to students, so often, focus on what students can't do or what students have done wrong. Imagine a school where the primary focus (not sole focus) is on what students are doing right. Slight changes to your feedback mode will change the culture of your classroom and school.

• Grading homework -- imagine if teachers mark and comment on the correct answers rather than the incorrect answers. The grade would still be 8 out of 10, but the students would focus more on the 8 correct answers rather than the 2 incorrect ones. 
• Essay Grading --First get rid of the blood red pen when grading essays ... there is nothing more deficit based than giving a student a paper filled with red ink about all that is wrong. When I taught high school English, I used to grade essays by highlighting excellent sentences/phrases ... I would literally use a highlighter not a pen. Additionally, I would read excellent parts from a variety of student papers. Focusing first on what was right helped set a positive tone before I taught a mini-lesson on ways to improve writing.
• Homework Corrections -- Most teachers spend the first few minutes of class in correction mode: "Let me go over the questions that people got wrong." Let's change that to a celebration mode: "Let's look at a few questions that most of you got right." Then select a few student to share how they answered the question correctly; this will also solidify the learning for those who share (those who didn't have that answer will learn better from their peers, too).
• Recognition -- The ultimate feedback is recognition. We recognize certain strengths quite well (specifically athletics), but schools rarely celebrate academic or character strengths. Some organizations, like NHS and Jostens Renaissance Education, can help to promote these important areas, but you can also develop a recognition system that works for your school.  Don't wait until the end of the year.
• Use Exemplars -- Good examples of how something should be done (exemplars) is a powerful tool, especially if you use exemplars from students. Sometimes teachers use exemplars from professionals (or from the teacher or book); these are still good, but those can intimidate students ("I could never do that"), but exemplars from classmates should motivate them ("If a classmate can do it, so can I"). When I taught English, I used to read exemplary student answers to essays/short answer questions; I didn't say the student's name, but I could feel them beaming from his/her seat.
• A Positive Tone -- use a celebratory tone about what is going well rather than a negative tone about what is going wrong. This applies to classroom management, feedback on grading, and even giving assignments. Imagine the student response to the following messages:
• "You got the following problems wrong, please complete the review packet in those areas."
• "Wow, you are really good at that [part of the assignment] ... let me give you some slightly more challenging problems to help you become even better."
• The first is a typical message heard in most classrooms and can be deflating to students ... "Ugh, I have to do more of what I hate!" The second message is strengths-oriented and can be energizing and enriching to students ... "Cool, I get to do more of my favorite part of the assignment!"

The shift from a deficit-model to a strengths-orientation is needed if we want excellence in education. If we focus all of our attention in getting students to meet minimum standards in all areas, we will end up with graduates who are relatively well-rounded but who do not excel in anything ... and worse, we will be training them to "work on their weaknesses" and shoot for mediocrity, rather than enhancing their strengths to shoot for excellence.

Finally, a strengths-orientation will encourage schools, educators, and ultimately students to celebrate the God-given gifts seen in themselves and others. They will focus on their specific gifts and, by celebrating the gifts in others, will reduce jealousy of their classmates.

I encourage you to read more about becoming a strengths-oriented educator.

Resources:

Shane J Lopez & Michelle C Louis (2009) The Principles of Strengths-Based Education, Journal of College and Character, 10:4, , DOI: 10.2202/1940-1639.1041 

• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2202/1940-1639.1041
• (Summary) https://www.slu.edu/cttl/resources/resource-guides/strengths-based-education.pdf