Jacob Hill

English 220
5/1/15
Jakes Manifesto
What should education be in America today?
180. How does that number relate to the education in this
nation? 180 days are the average number of instruction days that
schools are in session in the US. These 180 days are scheduled around
an archaic system. TodaysThe modern day system is based on the
agricultural calendar. Long summer breaks because children were an
essential part in the agricultural economy of this country. So during
busy time on the farm the children needed to be home instead of in
class. Times have changed and the great majority of the population
lives in cities, no longer having any connection in agriculture. Therefore
this is no need to have a school system based on this system.
Education in America should not be the minimum of days a
teacher can have to shape the future for this great country. In todays
world everything in life is global. The economy is more than ever
before, a world economy. Then why is it that United States has
anywhere from 20-63 days less of classroom instruction. According to
The Atlantic the United States is ranked 14th in Advanced Algebra, 12th
in Calculus, and 12th in geometry (Case For More School Days, Par. 22).
According to this study all the countries ahead in the rankings have
longer school years. Ill admit that there could be many different

factors leading to this disparity but in my opinion being in class more

would increase our rank internationally. Also in this study it says, of
average achievement score of the top one percent of the twelfthgraders in each country, the United States came out as the lowest of
any country for which data were available. In other words, our most
able students scored lower in algebra than their top-notch peers in any
other country. (Case For More School Days, Par. 23) My school
calendar would look much different than it does today. First of all it
would be different everywhere. This country is so incredibly diverse
and the demands in Iowa are different then they are in Brooklyn. For
starters, Nationally the number of REQUIRED class instruction would be
increased to anywhere from 200 to 220 days a year. This would put us
on par internationally. I would leave the school districts themselves to
decide which 200 days a year to schedule. In some parts of the country
children are still needed on the farm so this would allow for them to be
used during those times. In Alaska and other northern states going to
school in the dead of winter is not safe, so allowing school districts to
load summer heavy instruction would allow for safer travel for students
and staff.
Pros
So much of education today is taught to a standard and to the
standardized tests. This was true for my time in public education. Ever
since elementary school I took standardized tests every year. So in

preparation for these tests the teachers would spend anywhere from a
couple weeks to a couple months preparing for these tests. Valuable
time used for test prep instead of instruction. Now these tests have
their own problems yes but if the school year were longer the
percentage of time prepping for these test would be significantly
reduced.
Ever herd the phrase it keeps me off the streets? It means that
what ever someone is passionate about helps keep him or her from
crime. I bring this up because even though school might not be what
everyone is passionate about, school does keep kids from committing
crime. This chart from the Department of Justice study shows crime
rates are down in all seasons that school is in session.
Total property
crime
Winter -6.9%*
Spring -8.0*
Summ
~
er
Fall
-3.1*

Household

Motor vehicle Household

burglary
-10.5%*
-8.8*

theft
-2.2%
-5.6*

larceny
-6.4%*
-8.0*

-5.9*

-2.7*

Therefore if the school year is longer kids have less opportunity to

commit crime and be out doing things because its not a school night.
Another pro of having a longer school year is knowledge
retention. With more time in class means less time out of it. As I
showed in project two students lose a great amount of knowledge

while out of term. Then teachers must spend valuable instruction time
playing catch up. Longer terms would increase retention and even
allow for time to catch up after a break. Win Win.
Cons
A longer school year would be wildly unpopular for students and
parents. This is for a couple of reasons.
It would cost a lot more for the government. Teachers and staff
would be working longer, more meals to make and distribute, and the
buildings would need to be heated and cooled for more days. Funding
for education has only shrunk in recent decades so lengthening the
school year would demand a reverse of this trend nationally.
For parents it would be unpopular because they would have less
time with there children. Also less time for vacation time and time to
spend bonding, although the need for high expense childcare would be
reduced. For students it is an issue because especially later in public
education it means more schoolwork and less time for employment.
Many high school students work during the long summer and winter
vacations. With more days in class that means less days working and
supporting this nations economy. According to the US Census done in
2010 1 in 4 High School students have some kind of employment
(School Enrollment and Work Status, table 1-A).
Another drawback to this system is, mainly music and sports
would have to dramatically change schedules to fit a new year round

system. Breaks every 45 days would interrupt any sports system of

training and competing.
In conclusion my manifesto for education in this country is that
not enough time is spent learning and instructing. Internationally
schools years a much longer than in the US and the effects are
dramatic. Not to say that there wont be problems with extending the
year I believe the pros will greatly outweigh the cons.

1. Does the order of the paragraphs make sense?

2. What information should I add?
3. Should I include direct quotes from project 2?

Bibliography

Barrett, Michael. "The Case for More School Days." The Atlantic 1 Nov.
1990. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/past/politics/educatio/barr2f.htm>.

Davis, Jessica. "School Enrollment and Work Status: 2011." American

Community Survey Briefs (2014). US Census Bureau. Web. 15 Apr.
2015. <https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acsbr11-14.pdf>.

Lauritsen Janet, and Nicole White. Seasonal Patterns in Criminal

Victimization Trends. U.S. Department of Justice. 1 June 2014. Web. 15
Apr. 2015.