When we think of the school day the majority of Americans automatically think 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. But there have been changes in recent years that is changing the way many people think about this.
There are concerns that the United States is not keeping up with other countries in educating our children. Several other countries are way beyond us as far as the time children spend in school and what they are learning. Our system was developed years ago when children needed to be available during the summer to help harvest the crops for their family farms. This is not the case for the majority any more, so many educators and administrators are rethinking what the traditional school day and year should be.
Although in theory it sounds like it would be easy enough to change the way the system works, there are many things to consider. The system has been in place so long that many industries including child care, and tourism have been developed to fit around the the current school year.
There are two schools of thought when it comes to increasing amount of time kids spend in school each year. Those in higher income brackets tend to be concerned that it will interfere with family time and extra curricular activities. Those in lower income brackets tend to agree with a longer school day because it helps to keep their kids occupied while they are working, and also gives them more access to resources for education.
There are more and more schools who are making a change in their typical school day. In order for it to be successful though, it has to be a collaborative effort between the teachers and the administration. Although it may benefit them in the end, the kids are usually the ones who are the most concerned about missing out on their summer vacation.
