c	Our Beliefs Year-round Schools: Is It The Answer Or A Mere Band-Aid? How non-traditional calendars impact you: Families Non-traditional school calendars often offer numerous one-day holidays or mini-breaks throughout the school year. Finding childcare during these breaks is not only difficult, but costly, resulting in many young children being left home alone. If a district provides a multi-track, year-round calendar, siblings may not share the same vacation schedule. This creates havoc for parents trying to plan vacations, and minimizes quality family time. Nationally, it is estimated we have about 750,000 migrant students. The non-traditional school year puts migrant students further behind, since their families usually don't return home from the harvest season until September, October or even November. Teachers As a nation, we expect our teachers to remain competitive and to continue updating their skills. After all, the education our children receive depends on the knowledge of their teacher. Non-traditional school calendars often make it impossible for teachers to attend continuing education conferences held during the summer months and to take classes at local universities. Most teachers depend on the summer months to earn advanced degrees. A shorter summer often forces teachers to spend twice as long working on additional degree certifications or graduate degrees. School districts normally offer greater pay to teachers with advanced degrees. If advanced degrees are beneficial enough to merit a pay increase, we should ensure that teachers have time to earn advanced degrees. Students We send our children to school hoping the education they receive will help them map the path to their successful futures. We understand that all learning does not take place in the classroom. As Nobel Prize winner Albert Camus said: "You cannot create experience. You must undergo it." Yet non-traditional school calendars are taking away the time our students have for many experiences. While the number of days spent in the classroom is the same, it is difficult to have a meaningful experience when vacation days are given out a day here or three weeks there, at the most. The 12-week summer vacation is invaluable for students. A study by the Employment Policies Institute found that students who work are more likely to obtain better jobs after graduation. Why? A full summer provides the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom and gives them invaluable insight in choosing a career path. Summer employment means many students can pay for college without working as many hours during the school year, giving them more time for academics and extracurricular activities. As the summer shortens, so does the time our children have to learn outside the classroom. Activities such as scouting, camping, summer athletic programs and family travel can be important learning experiences, too. Giving exams before or after a holiday break has been long debated by those arguing the merits of the traditional school year vs. the extended calendar. It is clear that when exams are given is not as important as how children are taught. Many educators believe giving tests after a break, rather than asking for instant regurgitation beforehand, is a better measure of true learning. Teachers also report students have the shortest attention span the week before a break, when their energy levels are high and their concentration is low. Interestingly, many of the nation's top academic districts begin school around September 1 and administer mid-term exams after the holiday break. The most important problem this country faces is improving the education system. Quality of life issues, including the health of the economy and public safety, depend on it. Keeping a reasonable school calendar is critical to creating a better learning environment for our children.