Consider year-round schools

Closing schools was the right choice — and could lead to new paths forward

Now, with everything in the public schools topsy-turvy anyway, is a good time to think creatively about better ways to educate children. Teachers, schools, students and families have had to scramble to adjust to the abrupt closing of schools in mid-March for the rest of the 2019-20 academic year.

Without question, closing the schools was right. Any lingering doubts should be silenced as we watch the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 — and the death toll — climb. Each day brings more bad news and more restrictions on “normal” activities.

Social distancing and sheltering at home have become survival strategies. Knowing the necessity of closing the schools doesn’t make it easier, however. It’s tough for everybody. Students are cut off from their friends, activities and face-to-face interaction with teachers.

Seniors in the class of 2020 are devastated at the thought of missing their landmark moments in America’s coming-of-age rituals: proms; athletic games, meets and tournaments; and of course, graduation.

Assuming they continue to do what they are supposed to, high school seniors will still graduate. They just won’t have the ceremony. And they will face an uncertain future.

Parents suddenly must deal not only with having children at home around the clock but also with supervising distance-learning endeavors. Some parents are working from home or not working because of the coronavirus. Others who have to go to work suddenly need childcare. Running a home school makes things tougher.

Teachers and school personnel deserve credit for shifting gears abruptly and doing what they can to keep students learning. Most school systems in Hampton Roads are offering learning materials to be picked up or accessed online, and teachers are available to answer questions and offer help online or by phone. Schools are trying to make additional services and materials available for students with special needs and the academically gifted.

Still, it’s all a challenge. Parents vary in their ability, availability and willingness to oversee their children’s learning. Students vary in their ability and motivation to work at home. Teachers have had to reinvent their classes and approaches.

And the classroom setting is vital for learning not only subject matter but also how to deal cooperatively with other people.

So, while we’re all figuring this out anyway, why not think outside the box? Teachers and administrators are trying to assess what students are missing and figure out ways to fill the gaps. Reworking the curriculum for the 2020-21 academic year to cover areas that are being missed is one option.

There’s been some talk of expanded summer-school offerings, but who knows how soon schools will reopen. Now also might be a good time to take another look at yearround school, a promising option that hasn’t gotten much traction in Virginia. The traditional school year — nine to 10 months of school and an extended summer break — dates to the days when the nation was agrarian and most mothers didn’t work outside the home.

Some studies suggest that year-round school, with shorter, more frequent breaks, can improve learning, especially among lower-achieving students. Year-round schedules avoid the “summer slide,” when students forget some of the knowledge and skills they developed during the school year. The schedules are less stressful for both students and teachers, and they allow time for extra help when it’s most needed, during the academic year.

Developing more year-round programs for the new academic year might help students make up for what they’ve missed.

Many of the arguments against year-round schooling stem from the way things have been done for decades. It’s harder to organize sports, band and other extracurricular activities if not all schools are on similar schedules. Year-round school potentially affects the economy, complicating summer camps and family vacations at places including Hampton Roads beaches. If not all schools in a district operate year-round, families could have children on different schedules.

But at this moment, everything’s disrupted anyway, so why not think creatively about ways to make year-round schools work?