Time is Now: Year-Round Education

On the potential eve of what school life in BC may look like for the Fall, only fitting to once again revisit the model of Year-Round Education. Does our current education delivery model really meet the needs of all students? Maybe it's time for some creative #change in #bced.

The new curriculum has brought changes to what we teach, COVID-19 has forced us to look at how education is delivered, now it's time to look at when it's delivered. It is refreshing to see some districts will be attempting a quarterly schedule for secondary learners (see Abbotsford SD) and I'll be interested to see how it fares for students and their ability to learn.

I refer to this article by Karen Rasmussen back in March 2000 from @ASCD. Although written 20 years ago many of the points make sense even more so today . https://bit.ly/3fgOkEn

"We can't go back now". We've heard this a lot in many aspects of our daily and work lives. Lots of future ideas and possibilities sat on the drawing board, only to be forced into action because of the pandemic.

Is Year-Round Education one of those "drawing board" possibilities that needs to be rolled out sooner than later? Here are some other reasons it could make sense:

1. Spread out the calendar over a year with flexible, but scheduled breaks. Ex: Overlap the breaks and learning times. There could be a scenario with a class of 20 only having 10 because the other 10 are on a 2-week break. 
2. University students schooling online could be more available to run programs out of Community Centres/school in non-traditional break times, students have places to go.
3. High school students not tied to traditional 9-3 school times could be employed. Gain valuable work experience with part time hours.
4. More teachers would be needed to fill those gaps described in 1) as breaks and learning overlap.
5. Intense learning times followed by long enough breaks would allow everyone to stay healthy and refreshed. Ongoing learning for everyone.
6. Maybe the best reason is for our most vulnerable learners to stay connected to school and the adults who work with them. Keep that engagement factor high for better and longer lasting success.

​There are so many pros (and cons) to Year-Round Education. Yes there are also lots of logistics and finite details that would have to be looked at, but is there a will to take this on. Let's take some risks and see what happens. If we're making changes anyway, what's a few more. In the end, it's about what's best for kids - both their health and learning.