| Show p- p LONGER SCHOOL YEAR PROMISES BENEFITS After a few weeks of summer vacation t tie e average youngster is bored and restless There simply isn't enough for him to do through three months of vacation nut But sug gest that school run on a year around or 11 month basis and howls go up from child par ent and teacher alike Nevertheless the suggestion continues to gain support and on on an experimental basis has actually been put into practice in four New York school districts where students at tend classes days a year as compared to toa toa a statewide average of days Results of the trial were so encouraging the New York state Education department asked the Legislature for permissive legisla tion to allow localities to operate schools for foras foras as long as 11 months a year with state funds supporting such operation on a regular basis In comparison with other countries Amer ica's school year is short Here the average is days In Russia it is days However Russian youngsters attend school on a compulsory sory basis for only 10 years compared to 12 for most most Americans In Denmark and Ger many the average is to days Italy alone with an average of days falls below the United States The long American vacation is a legacy from the nations nation's agricultural past when chil dren were wele needed Deeded in summer to work the farm Now most school age children live ve in metropolitan areas and even those still on the farm are no longer necessary as part of a labor force rapidly being replaced by machin machin- machinery cry ery Most persuasive among findings In the ex school districts says the New York Times Is the fact that students on the extend ed Y year ar made proportionately greater aca demic gains than those on on the conventional schedule especially in reading Also it was noted ow low ability pupils made relatively greater progress than the average and bright The study further showed that the present long vacation is especially harmful to those who nEed school most that loss of momen turn when school is out is a serious handicap to orderly learning By operating school more days each year the student could be offered widely varied edu options including a combination of academic academic work and recreation as a part of schooling The important thing here is not to stretch the school year just to keep the build logs ings in use and students off the streets though these are desirable byproducts but to to make better use of the available time in a way that thatis thatIs is best for the children Though we no longer see things through the eyes of a grammar or even high school student we imagine that after sufficient moan fog ing just for the record they would find they liked the more relaxed and varied program a stretched school year could offer Convincing administrators teachers taxpaYers and some parents may not be beW beso W so easy Salt easy Lake Tri frio bune 1 |
