«… Thus, at the beginning of formal education in our country, communities created school schedules consistent with the lifestyles and responsibilities of the student populations. In rural areas, schooling was structured around agricultural harvests. Local school boards and superintendents gave students months off so they could help their parents harvest crops and tend the farm. Unlike their rural counterparts, in the mid-1800s, children in urban areas attended school year-round. However, as education was not compulsory at the time, students could take time off whenever they wanted, and school attendance therefore became inconsistent and problematic. To encourage maximum school attendance, urban districts adopted the summer vacation approach” (396). Changing the system to include summer vacation was due to issues not entirely within their control at the time. Attendance is no longer as widespread a problem and yet this system is still used. The United States' educational agenda has held to this decision that is hundreds of years out of date, and the shift toward a solid education must be made. There are tools available to achieve what could not be done in the 1800s, and so urban adaptations must be made to year-round schooling. If society has continually adapted to so many things to survive (i.e. technology, fashion trends, laws, etc.), then why has it taken so long to that education still remains outdated? This lack of progress within the education system has hampered students on many fronts. The United States' global standing in education is not up to par. “In 1983, the National Commission for Excellence in Education published...... middle of article ......ts from the View Reference Center. Internet. March 21. 2014. Opheim, Cynthia and Kristine Hopkin Mohajer. “Evaluating Year-Round Schools in Texas.” Education 116.1 (1995): 115. MasterFILE Premier. Internet. March 25, 2014.O'Sullivan, Mary Therese. "The ten-month school year: are we ignoring educational research in order to preserve summer vacations? Finding a compromise between educational progress and over-schooling." Brigham Young University Journal of Education and Law 2 (2013): 395. MasterFILE Premier. Internet. March 13, 2014. Pearson, John and Denise B. Geier. “Counterpoint: Year-round school causes more problems than it solves.” Points of view: Year-round school (2013): 3. Points of view reference center. Internet. March 21, 2014.Buhre 12St. Gérard, Vanessa. “Schools open all year round are always more beautiful.” Education Digest 72.8 (2007): 56. MasterFILE Premier. Internet. March 25. 2014.