It seems like the public school schedule in the U.S. is stuck in tradition. We stick with August/September to May/June, Monday through Friday, but it doesn’t seem like there’s a real reason behind it—it’s just what’s always been done.
I’d like to hear your ideas. You could split it into two parts:
Maybe it’s basic, but I’d go for a year-round schedule. Shorten summer vacation a bit and spread more breaks throughout the year. I’m also interested in a 4-day school week, but it’s not a major thing for me.
@Alex
I like the idea of a balanced calendar, maybe something like: 1 week off in October, 1 week in November, 3 weeks in winter, 1 week in February, 1 week in April, and then out in early June with an 8-week summer break. It’s not fully year-round, but it breaks up the harder parts of the year nicely.
@Carter
I wouldn’t want 5 weeks off in the first 5 months, then just 2 weeks in the last 4 months. Feels too uneven to me.
@Carter
I get that. I like the idea of the fall semester being a bit lighter and spring more intense, to go with traditional seasonal rhythms. In older societies, winter was for rest, summer was for intense work. School could follow that a bit—longer breaks in fall/winter, shorter breaks spread over spring and summer. I’d keep 8 weeks for summer, with June as an enrichment month and the main school year from September to late May. Fall could have a week for Halloween, one for Thanksgiving, 4 weeks for winter, and spring could get 2 weeks in March or April. That’d be about 36 school weeks.
I’d love a year-round calendar with 4-day weeks. Take a few weeks off every couple of months, and line it up with holidays. It could work for everyone if other systems adjusted along with it.
Theodore said:
I’d love a year-round calendar with 4-day weeks. Take a few weeks off every couple of months, and line it up with holidays. It could work for everyone if other systems adjusted along with it.
Totally agree! My district had a 10-week summer, and it was so hard to get back into the flow after that. Frequent breaks with 3-day weekends would be a great change.
Theodore said:
I’d love a year-round calendar with 4-day weeks. Take a few weeks off every couple of months, and line it up with holidays. It could work for everyone if other systems adjusted along with it.
I actually mapped this out in Excel, and it could work, though we’d need a few 5-day weeks. It’d let us have flex days for weather and spread out teacher planning days across the year. I wish I could post a screenshot here to show it.
Theodore said:
I’d love a year-round calendar with 4-day weeks. Take a few weeks off every couple of months, and line it up with holidays. It could work for everyone if other systems adjusted along with it.
A 4-day week would be a nightmare for childcare. Most people work 5 days a week.
@Brown
People also work summers, but we still manage. It’s possible if schools coordinated with local childcare providers.
jordansmith said:
@Brown
People also work summers, but we still manage. It’s possible if schools coordinated with local childcare providers.
So we’d have more childcare programs set up for those off days?
@CatherineRivers
Yes! If Wednesdays off were standard, childcare for those days would become as common as summer camps and summer care are now.
@Brown
A lot of districts already do this. It’s challenging, but possible, and there are big benefits for students, teachers, and families. Many already need childcare outside of regular hours.
@Brown
In larger cities with multiple districts, they could stagger the off day. Then childcare centers could adjust schedules and actually fill a gap in the current system.
My ideal year-round schedule would be something like this:
Or if people want a longer summer, reduce the fall and spring breaks to 2 weeks.
@Teddy
This actually works within the standard 180 school days. I calculated it out and it’s viable with current contracts. Nicely done!
Jean said:
@Teddy
This actually works within the standard 180 school days. I calculated it out and it’s viable with current contracts. Nicely done!
Looks like it covers all the federal holidays, except maybe MLK, Memorial Day, and Veteran’s Day.
@Teddy
I’d love this for the chance to travel off-peak! It’d be way less expensive and less crowded.
MsBella said:
@Teddy
I’d love this for the chance to travel off-peak! It’d be way less expensive and less crowded.
If this model was widespread, peak travel times would adjust, but it’d still spread things out and consolidate holidays within breaks.
@Teddy
Also love how it moves away from the current holiday setup and allows more inclusivity for non-Christian holidays.