December 2, 2025 • 8 mins
Dr. Kevin Jones, Dean of the School of Education at Cedarville U. weighs in on this idea floated by Vivek Ramaswamy
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We're talking about year round education and that idea of
going to school twelve months of the year on a
day where kids aren't in school. But this was brought
up by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate the vig Ramaswami. He
kind of floated this idea last week, not a policy rollout,
but just a casual discussion, and I wanted to it's
(00:21):
fascinating to me, and I wanted to talk to an expert.
That expert on the Legacy Retirement Group dot com phone
line just so happens to be doctor Kevin Jones, Dean
of the School of Education at Cedarville University. Doctor Jones,
how are you I?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm doing sadul this on this Chilli morning and with you,
the irony of school being out today for most districts
is a little bit hilarious. Amaze in Providence that we're
talking about year around school.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, so let's talk about this. This was floated by
mister Ramaswami last week. Again, not a policy rollout or
a campaign discussion, but just an idea. And you know,
the larger discussion that he brought this up is because
you know, helping with the child care costs, you know, parents,
that number is going higher and higher, and you know,
if you can get kids in school year round, that
(01:06):
childcare cost goes down. There's also the thought of a
year round school program reducing the summer slide where you
forget everything you learned come you know, mid of June
and because you don't go back to school until you know,
middle of August. So there are pros and cons to this.
It largely year round school schedule would be nine weeks
(01:26):
on forty five school days and then three weeks off
fifteen school days and you just kind of, you know,
repeat that schedule throughout the year. So talk about the
idea of a year round school program.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, yeah, thanks again for having me on this morning.
And yeah, you know, if child care calls go down.
I do want to say this on the front end
of our conversation that teacher pay should go up. I
know that is a completely different conversation, maybe for another time.
I agree. I do think our teachers work extremely hard
and maybe anytime I can advocate it more pay from them,
and I want to do that, So I'll just I'll
(02:01):
just echo a couple of things you said with some
pros surrounding year round school and then we can maybe
talk about some of the cons as well. It does,
I mean, research shows that it does assist with the
summer slide, which only makes sense. Right if you pick
up golf our music even as an adult, and you
take you know, sixty to ninety days off and then
kind to pick back up after that, you're going to
(02:21):
have a little rust. And so, yeah, the summer slide.
What the research shows is that it actually does help.
The other thing we just talked a little bit about
teacher pay is more frequent breaks actually reduced burnout, right,
And so if teachers have more breaks throughout the course
of the year, then they are less likely to burn out.
You know, most teachers are working upwards of you know,
(02:43):
forty five to fifty five sixty hours a week, and
that's no embellishment there putting in that many hours in
an average school week.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Yeah, and it goes on to some of the pros
here for a year round school are more flexibility with
the more frequent breaks. I mean, if you need to
a child needs some remedial work, you know, maybe they
can go in a couple of days during that three
week break to help get them caught up, so they
don't get too far behind. There's more flexibility for enrichment
(03:14):
or remediation during those kind of schedules too.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, absolutely, I would echo that. You know, so this
this would alleviate maybe some of the potential extended homework
assignments and extracurricular Saturday schools and things like that. And
we're given and we give students an opportunity to bounce
back in doing those those times when when school would
be out officially. An another pro many school buildings just
go vacant during during the summertime, many of them do.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Now.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
This time is usually spent by maintenance workers to do
some you know, maintenance and upkeep. But there could be
a much more efficient and effective use of school buildings
because you don't you don't have hundreds of buildings, you know, thousands,
rather in a state that there lay empty for sixty
to ninety days over the summer. So that's also another
benefit to the district as well.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
It's a great point speaking with doctor Kevin Jones, dean
of the School of Education at Cedarville University. So you know,
the biggest con to this, and you know, kids don't
ask the kids that they think about it because they'll
they'll hate it, doctor Jones. But as far as parents
are concerned, I mean, parents could be pushing back a
little bit as well, because in summer vacations, it's time
(04:20):
to travel, it's time to see family, and you know,
the way that the schedule aligns, you may not have
time during the summer to do all the things you
want to do.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, you're exactly right. It does reduce summertime opportunities for students.
But again, I think much like any any transition or change,
you know, after said period forward eight year transition like this,
it becomes the new normal. And I think society, you know,
in larger communities, and opportunities and events and organizations all
try to make that shift a little bit in order
(04:51):
to afford students a better opportunity. Now, and you know,
I know you said it jokingly, but you know, some
students actually struggle war when they go home for the
summer because of lack of food and nutrition at home mills,
the lack of care.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
That's a great point.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
And day they concerned that that teachers offer. The social
and emotional support that are offered by teachers is a
little bit of a con as well too. I mean
when I was the first grade teacher, I called fifth grade,
and I understood the students that had what we would
consider a stable home life and those that didn't. Right,
and so I knew that sending them out the door
on the last day at school could be sending them
(05:26):
into chaos and disruption at home, and any school offered
a sense of normalcy.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
That's a really good point. I mean, you know, we
have a stable household, i'd like to think, say anyway,
my wife and I with our two teenage boys. But
it is a challenge in the summer because there are
days where they don't have a camp schedule, there's nothing
going on, and it's so tempting for them to sit
and play on their phone or play a video game
on a beautiful, you know, eighty degree summer day. And
(05:51):
you know, my wife and I are like, get outside,
go play, go do something, trying to keep them engaged
and keep them busy, and they get tired of going
to the pool or nobody's availab or whatever. This would
reduce all of.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
That, absolutely, you're right, You're right. So and we talked
a little bit about the pro of having a building
being utilized year loan, but then there also are increased
costs with that building utilization as well too, whether it's
keeping the AC going or you know, going dependent upon
what time of year we're thinking about, which could deal
with the overall operating building cost when it's just continual
(06:24):
utilities being loose. I suspect I don't know this for
sure that when someonee's hint, the A C and HVAC
system is adjusted appropriately empty building, you talk about increasing
their cost, you know, time and time again, that could
have a negative impact on a district's budget. Another though,
go ahead, go ahead, No, No, I'm sorry, I I was
(06:45):
gonna say.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Another consideration is summer jobs. You know, my seventeen year
old son has had a job every summer since he's
been fourteen. I mean, he's been worked at the pool
at been a lifeguard there. And you know, this does
not allow opportunities for kids to have summer jobs necessary
and some kids may need a summer job to help
make ends meet for the family, whether it's you know,
(07:06):
somebody who or just wants to have some extra spending cash.
But I mean, if you've only got a three week
break at the end of July into August, before you
get ramped up again. That's not enough time to really
get any kids some it's great life experience getting the
summer job.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And you're right exact, you literally took the words and
the thoughts right right out of my mind. No, no,
it's all no, this is great. Oh no, listen, my
daughter wants to be a vet Mary when she grows up.
And she spent last summer working at at a at
a dog grooming place. And again if if she doesn't
have June in July in order to do that even
a few weeks into August, and she doesn't get that
that that type of experience and the funding for her
(07:42):
gas and caring, all those things sure that she was
going and saving for. And then and then maybe a
final con is, although there are some research that states,
you know, a year around school actually assists and helps
with students, because they're not enough schools actually doing this,
the benefits are not consistently proven academically that they're actually
(08:04):
going to help students. It would take it would take
you know, large districts implementing this for four to six
years in order to actually track the data and academic
growth for students
We're talking about year round education and that idea of
going to school twelve months of the year on a
day where kids aren't in school. But this was brought
up by Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate the vig Ramaswami. He
kind of floated this idea last week, not a policy rollout,
but just a casual discussion, and I wanted to it's
(00:21):
fascinating to me, and I wanted to talk to an expert.
That expert on the Legacy Retirement Group dot com phone
line just so happens to be doctor Kevin Jones, Dean
of the School of Education at Cedarville University. Doctor Jones,
how are you I?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I'm doing sadul this on this Chilli morning and with you,
the irony of school being out today for most districts
is a little bit hilarious. Amaze in Providence that we're
talking about year around school.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah, so let's talk about this. This was floated by
mister Ramaswami last week. Again, not a policy rollout or
a campaign discussion, but just an idea. And you know,
the larger discussion that he brought this up is because
you know, helping with the child care costs, you know, parents,
that number is going higher and higher, and you know,
if you can get kids in school year round, that
(01:06):
childcare cost goes down. There's also the thought of a
year round school program reducing the summer slide where you
forget everything you learned come you know, mid of June
and because you don't go back to school until you know,
middle of August. So there are pros and cons to this.
It largely year round school schedule would be nine weeks
(01:26):
on forty five school days and then three weeks off
fifteen school days and you just kind of, you know,
repeat that schedule throughout the year. So talk about the
idea of a year round school program.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Yeah, yeah, thanks again for having me on this morning.
And yeah, you know, if child care calls go down.
I do want to say this on the front end
of our conversation that teacher pay should go up. I
know that is a completely different conversation, maybe for another time.
I agree. I do think our teachers work extremely hard
and maybe anytime I can advocate it more pay from them,
and I want to do that, So I'll just I'll
(02:01):
just echo a couple of things you said with some
pros surrounding year round school and then we can maybe
talk about some of the cons as well. It does,
I mean, research shows that it does assist with the
summer slide, which only makes sense. Right if you pick
up golf our music even as an adult, and you
take you know, sixty to ninety days off and then
kind to pick back up after that, you're going to
(02:21):
have a little rust. And so, yeah, the summer slide.
What the research shows is that it actually does help.
The other thing we just talked a little bit about
teacher pay is more frequent breaks actually reduced burnout, right,
And so if teachers have more breaks throughout the course
of the year, then they are less likely to burn out.
You know, most teachers are working upwards of you know,
(02:43):
forty five to fifty five sixty hours a week, and
that's no embellishment there putting in that many hours in
an average school week.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Yeah, and it goes on to some of the pros
here for a year round school are more flexibility with
the more frequent breaks. I mean, if you need to
a child needs some remedial work, you know, maybe they
can go in a couple of days during that three
week break to help get them caught up, so they
don't get too far behind. There's more flexibility for enrichment
(03:14):
or remediation during those kind of schedules too.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Yeah, absolutely, I would echo that. You know, so this
this would alleviate maybe some of the potential extended homework
assignments and extracurricular Saturday schools and things like that. And
we're given and we give students an opportunity to bounce
back in doing those those times when when school would
be out officially. An another pro many school buildings just
go vacant during during the summertime, many of them do.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Now.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
This time is usually spent by maintenance workers to do
some you know, maintenance and upkeep. But there could be
a much more efficient and effective use of school buildings
because you don't you don't have hundreds of buildings, you know, thousands,
rather in a state that there lay empty for sixty
to ninety days over the summer. So that's also another
benefit to the district as well.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
It's a great point speaking with doctor Kevin Jones, dean
of the School of Education at Cedarville University. So you know,
the biggest con to this, and you know, kids don't
ask the kids that they think about it because they'll
they'll hate it, doctor Jones. But as far as parents
are concerned, I mean, parents could be pushing back a
little bit as well, because in summer vacations, it's time
(04:20):
to travel, it's time to see family, and you know,
the way that the schedule aligns, you may not have
time during the summer to do all the things you
want to do.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah, you're exactly right. It does reduce summertime opportunities for students.
But again, I think much like any any transition or change,
you know, after said period forward eight year transition like this,
it becomes the new normal. And I think society, you know,
in larger communities, and opportunities and events and organizations all
try to make that shift a little bit in order
(04:51):
to afford students a better opportunity. Now, and you know,
I know you said it jokingly, but you know, some
students actually struggle war when they go home for the
summer because of lack of food and nutrition at home mills,
the lack of care.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
That's a great point.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
And day they concerned that that teachers offer. The social
and emotional support that are offered by teachers is a
little bit of a con as well too. I mean
when I was the first grade teacher, I called fifth grade,
and I understood the students that had what we would
consider a stable home life and those that didn't. Right,
and so I knew that sending them out the door
on the last day at school could be sending them
(05:26):
into chaos and disruption at home, and any school offered
a sense of normalcy.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
That's a really good point. I mean, you know, we
have a stable household, i'd like to think, say anyway,
my wife and I with our two teenage boys. But
it is a challenge in the summer because there are
days where they don't have a camp schedule, there's nothing
going on, and it's so tempting for them to sit
and play on their phone or play a video game
on a beautiful, you know, eighty degree summer day. And
(05:51):
you know, my wife and I are like, get outside,
go play, go do something, trying to keep them engaged
and keep them busy, and they get tired of going
to the pool or nobody's availab or whatever. This would
reduce all of.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
That, absolutely, you're right, You're right. So and we talked
a little bit about the pro of having a building
being utilized year loan, but then there also are increased
costs with that building utilization as well too, whether it's
keeping the AC going or you know, going dependent upon
what time of year we're thinking about, which could deal
with the overall operating building cost when it's just continual
(06:24):
utilities being loose. I suspect I don't know this for
sure that when someonee's hint, the A C and HVAC
system is adjusted appropriately empty building, you talk about increasing
their cost, you know, time and time again, that could
have a negative impact on a district's budget. Another though,
go ahead, go ahead, No, No, I'm sorry, I I was
(06:45):
gonna say.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Another consideration is summer jobs. You know, my seventeen year
old son has had a job every summer since he's
been fourteen. I mean, he's been worked at the pool
at been a lifeguard there. And you know, this does
not allow opportunities for kids to have summer jobs necessary
and some kids may need a summer job to help
make ends meet for the family, whether it's you know,
(07:06):
somebody who or just wants to have some extra spending cash.
But I mean, if you've only got a three week
break at the end of July into August, before you
get ramped up again. That's not enough time to really
get any kids some it's great life experience getting the
summer job.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
And you're right exact, you literally took the words and
the thoughts right right out of my mind. No, no,
it's all no, this is great. Oh no, listen, my
daughter wants to be a vet Mary when she grows up.
And she spent last summer working at at a at
a dog grooming place. And again if if she doesn't
have June in July in order to do that even
a few weeks into August, and she doesn't get that
that that type of experience and the funding for her
(07:42):
gas and caring, all those things sure that she was
going and saving for. And then and then maybe a
final con is, although there are some research that states,
you know, a year around school actually assists and helps
with students, because they're not enough schools actually doing this,
the benefits are not consistently proven academically that they're actually
(08:04):
going to help students. It would take it would take
you know, large districts implementing this for four to six
years in order to actually track the data and academic
growth for students
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