join our coalition      other states      media corner      contact us      research page We Believe A nontraditional school year undermines public education and Florida school kids.  When the school year is allowed to start earlier and earlier in the summer months, it inhibits teachers’ abilities to continue their education.  It minimizes students’ opportunities to gain workplace experience.  What’s more, it provides no additional class time or educational benefit for our students. Why a September School Start Date is Important Impact on Teachers Teachers are expected to remain competitive and to continue updating their skills; the out of sync summer inhibits professional development. A summer that ends so early for teachers means many teachers can only attend one of the two summer school sessions, so it often takes them twice as long to earn advanced degrees. School districts offer greater pay for teachers with advanced degrees. If advanced degrees are beneficial enough to merit pay increases, shouldn’t we ensure teachers have time to achieve advanced degrees?   Impact on Families Numerous breaks during the school year make it difficult for many families to schedule child care; leaving many children unsupervised during the day. The issue boils down to how you define the word "summer."  Therefore, even though our kids are "out of school" at the end of May, it's unfair to say that their "summer vacation" has begun because they really can't begin to fully enjoy summer until mid-June.  By starting the school year so early, the kids are missing out on a normal summer vacation because the rest of the world does not start summer until the middle of June.  Camps, summer jobs, family vacations, or anything else related to summer activities does not begin until middle to end of June.  In fact, the official start of summer is June 21st.  A summer that is timed in conjunction with the rest of the country provides a fantastic opportunity for parents to spend time with their children and expose them to the educational marvels of Florida and other places.   Impact on Students A study by the Employment Policies Institute found that students who work are more likely to obtain better jobs upon graduation.  Why? A full summer gives students the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom and gives them invaluable insight in choosing a career path. Summer employment allows many students to afford college without working as many hours during the school year; allowing more time for academics and extracurricular activities. As the summers get out of sync, so does the time our children have to learn outside the classroom.  Activities such as scouting, camp, summer athletic programs and family travel can be important learning experiences too. Giving exams before or after a holiday break has long been debated.  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 is a better measure of true learning rather than memorization.  Teachers report students have the shortest attention span the week before a break.  Students' energy levels are high and concentration low. Interestingly, many of the nation's top academic districts begin school around September 1 and give exams after the holiday break.          Who We Are SaveOurSummers.Org is a grassroots movement of parents, educators, students and school administrators concerned about education and the impact the early August start date has on our students and teachers.  We are a community-based organization committed to ensuring that our children can enjoy their summers by returning to a traditional school year.   Our mission is to educate interested people about the negative impact the early-August school start date and nontraditional school calendars have on our students, teachers and families. It is our hope that we can help establish educationally and fiscally sound school calendars; a school calendar that allows more money to flow into teachers' salaries, classroom supplies and educational services ... without a heavier tax burden on Florida families.