Perhaps it is time for Minnesota to address its school calendar.

Minnesota is the only state with no mandate for the required minimum days per academic year.

Iowa and 29 other states require 180 days. Others call for other figures, ranging from 171 to 181. Six base the minimum on instructional hours, which equal about 180 days, too.

In Minnesota, the school boards set their own minimum. Last year, we at the Tribune, which covers five school districts in Minnesota and two in Iowa, saw the Iowa students have to make up their days, while many of the Minnesota students did not.

Imagine how many lessons were crammed or cut. (Ever notice how worthy teachers don’t celebrate snow days?)

In addition, students every summer suffer from what educators call “summer learning loss.” That is, because they have been gone from school so long, they have forgotten many of the lessons from the prior school year. Some students get summer enrichment as a result of family vacations, camps and workshops, but many are left to spend summers watching TV and running around their neighborhoods. The skill of learning — something, anything — takes a slide, too.

Though many countries around the world require year-round schooling, we are not yet advocates of it. We feel students do gain valuable life lessons through experiences with family members and neighbors during the summer break.

However, if Minnesota officials want a second Minnesota Miracle, a new look at the school calendar must be part of the plan.

According to Minnesota 2020, experts say school districts in Minnesota average about 175 days a year.

A new state standard of 180 days would bring Minnesota at least on par with other states, though going beyond would show our state again is a leader in education. The international average, Minnesota 2020 says, is 193. Perhaps that is what legislators should consider when crafting a state minimum.