Bill Would Move Oregon Toward Year-Round School

As the nation wrestles with a failing economy, a bill clears final legislative votes in Oregon to establish year round school.

Salem-News.com photo by Tim King

(SALEM, Ore.) - The House of Representatives voted unanimously this morning to support a bill sponsored by Senator Mark Hass (D-Beaverton) that sets the path for moving Oregon’s grade schools toward year-round classes.

Senate Bill 484 addresses the merits of an extended school year by requiring the Department of Education to establish a pilot program to encourage school districts to provide supplemental summer instruction.

“I’m aware of the economic reality that we live in today. But I also know those realities are no excuse for us to stop thinking about tomorrow,” said Hass, chair of the Senate Committee on Education and General Government.

“Some day we'll get out of this weed patch, and when we do, we need to be ready with the best research, best practices and the best tools to make Oregon's school system the best in the country.”

Experts say the regression that occurs over summer break for most students takes four to eight weeks to recover. Over a 12 year span that’s a loss of more than a year in classroom time.

“This bill is also about the next generation of workers being able to compete globally,” explained Hass. “China, India, Japan and Germany all have year-round education.”

Results of the pilot program will be reported back to interim legislative committees by the Department of Education no later than October 1, 2010.

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Humbug! Why doesn't anybody ever ask teachers who actually have to do the job what would improve student learning? What we want to create are autodidacts--people who find the world interesting and teach themselves. Going to school year round isn't going to create life long learners.

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