I was engaged in an exchange of posts in a forum I frequent concerning the state of American schools. (OK, actually it was about teaching things like comparative religion in the public schools to start, but the discussion widened.) The problem we face as a society is that, on the whole, our children are receiving a less than adequate education. For one thing, the way the school year is currently configured, there is simply not enough time to teach our kids what they will need to know to be effective adults. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that the people who have been advocating year around school schedules are right.
 
Specifically, the school year should consist of three terms, a trimester system, with two 14 week terms and one 15 week term. That leaves 9 weeks of vacation time for school districts to apportion out as they see fit. I could see something like: last week in December and first week in January, two weeks in April, one week in July (over the 4th), three weeks in August and one week in November (over Thanksgiving). That gives schools 43 weeks of instruction time. Take another five to seven days off for national holidays and school professional development days, and actual instruction time ends up at about 42 weeks per year. Currently most states mandate about 180 school days per year. This would raise the total to about 210. That's about a 17% increase in class days and it eliminates the long summer vacation which usually results in the first month of the fall semester being devoted to "refreshing" what was taught the preceding year.
 
I wouldn't want to make this proposal too detailed since I think individual school districts should be allowed latitude to come up with schedules that fit their constituency. Of course, rather than call for a trimester system, the same results could be attained simply by mandating a 210 day school schedule--that's 210 days with kids in the classrooms--then arrange the schedule in whatever manner an individual school board might see fit. However, the trimester system seems to be the most elegant solution.
 
The trimester system could be readily adapted by secondary schools (i.e. high schools). Make each course worth one credit per trimester. Require 60 credits to graduate from high school. Set up a core curriculum of required courses--something on the order of:
English and Literature: 8 credits
Math: 8 credits
History and social sciences: 8 credits
Foriegn (second) Language: 8 credits
Physical science: 8 credits
 
This would leave room for electives and advanced placement courses and would give us people ready to be productive members of society. Anyhow, this is what I've been thinking about this weekend.