Why do US schools have three months off in the summer?

Question

What is the origin of this and what is the reasoning for continuing it?

Answer 1

We used to need our kids off in the summer for planting and harvesting. Then it just became the way thing are. We are starting to catch up. Many of our schools are not off in the summer any more. The school year is broken up into 3 or 4 terms with a week or two break in between.

Answer 2

It is true that this started because youth was needed for working the family farm.  Today many southern states have districts adopting a year round school calender.  In northern states many water-parks, amusement parks, mini golf courses, etc need labor during the summer months as cold weather prevents them from staying open year round.  This need for summer labor tends to keep this going.  Family tradition also has something to do with it. "It was like that hen I went to school and I turned out fine.  Why change it now?"

The union has nothing to do with this issue.  In districts with year round schooling teachers still get time off during the breaks when students have off.  As a teacher I would rather have a few weeks every couple of months than 2.5 months off over summer.

Answer 3

There was a really great article on Slate.com about the reasons behind the US summer breaks. Normally schools let out during the harvest season or when kids needed to work on the family farm but with the growing of urban centers and the opening of free education to all children it became apparent that this wasn't working.

Attendance was not mandatory for the most part and during the summer months most kids would not show up. There was poor ventilation in the rooms and some kids had to take time off to help their families. Also the child development experts at that time worried it was unhealthy to have that much schooling and the good kids who showed up everyday were going to burn out and seriously harm their health (which during that time may be true as they had a lot of filthy kids in a poorly ventilated room...lots of germs circulating around without the benefit of a school nurse, anti-bacterial soap, or good hygiene).

Administrators listened to these concerns and also had a desire to vacation like the wealthy people in the urban centers by leaving for the beach or other vacation hot spots. This also came in the rise of administrators becoming more upper middle class.

The rural areas had less time in school because of the farming schedule but they were worried that these kids were not learning enough. They lengthened the school year and got in line with the schools from the urban centers by offering summers off.

The main reason this continues- in spite of some evidence that such a lengthy break during the summer causes harm to retaining information- is money. Schools dont have enough money to operate year round. It can cost just as much to cool the rooms during the summer, provide lunches, pay employees, etc and for now a summer break helps cut those costs down.

As for where I live- in the hot desert- the schools have been shortening summer breaks to include a break in the spring and fall in addition to the winter one. I think this is because of trying to address the budget concerns and not letting summer break go on for so long. Its nice too because students get to enjoy a break outside playing instead of spending three months inside because of the heat warnings. They still include summer breaks though to keep us on the same schedule as the rest of the U.S. We have a high mobility rate so this might be due to allowing family vacations and travel- but I doubt the adminstrators are really considering that.

Answer 4

3 words; The Teacher's Union.

Answer 5

Farmers needed their kids to work in the field.  We still do it now because if we didn't the students and the teachers would go crazy.  

Answer 6

that's not true.

i got out of school june the 6th and went back august the the 18th.

so from june 6th to july 6th is 1 month and from july 6th to august 6th is 2 month.

so we had about 2months and 12 days

Answer 7

Because most of them don't teach things. they think it is better to let students learn themselves so that the kids could have more free developments. Real talents are always from self-development, is that right? Actually, the parents should teach the hard things while teachers teach easy things and fun, then of course, the parents need time to teach their kids at home. Three months break is just not enough.

however, the kids that the parents cannot discipline are supposed to be disciplined in the schools. oh, the poor public school teachers! oh thank for our laws and culture!!...