This paper challenges the traditional interpretation of the origins of the North American summer calendar by suggesting that the roots of the presently defined school year were more influenced by multiple pressures arising from increasing urbanization, than by the demands of farm life. Examining why there has been such resistance to changing the school calendar, the paper investigates the calendar’s ties with changes over time in the construction of other “clocks” of society. Finally, we consider the school calendar as part of a larger ongoing discussion on what constitutes effectiveness of schools.

Is it possible to empower children in a poor, rural school district where the overwhelming social dynamic of the community is maligned with poverty, alcoholism, broken families and the myriad issues regarding child welfare (i.e., physical/sexual abuse, neglect, and recurring trauma)?