ERIC Number: ED468092
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 2000
Reference Count: N/A
Year-Round Schooling: Reviewing What We Know. From Inquiry to Practice.
Shields, Carolyn M.; Oberg, Steven Lynn
Year-round schooling is a form of educational restructuring designed either to increase efficiency by enabling a district to accommodate more pupils without providing new buildings or to modify the school year to improve both academic and nonacademic outcomes. The main forms of year-round schooling include the single-track calendar and multi-track calendar. There are also intersession programs. A year-round calendar has little or no negative impact on either academic or nonacademic student outcomes. There is evidence that at-risk students show enhanced academic progress. Parents with no exposure to year-round schooling are usually negatively disposed toward it, whereas those with first-hand experience are positively disposed. Teachers with first-hand experience also prefer it over the traditional school year calendar. Even administrators prefer the year-round model despite increases in administrative workload. When changing from a traditional to a year-round calendar, planning should be done carefully and introduced with consultation and collaboration. When creatively implemented with attention to community needs and particular emphasis on both political and educational issues, it promises educational advantages for all students. Appendix A describes common year-round schedules. (Contains 12 references and 9 resource Web sites.) (RT)
Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, Extended School Year, Program Effectiveness, School Schedules, Year Round Schools
Phi Delta Kappa International, 408 N. Union St., P.O. Box 789, Bloomington, IN 47402-0789. Tel: 812-339-1156; Tel: 800-766-1156 (Toll Free); Fax: 812-339-0018; Web site: http://www.pdkintl.org/home.shtml.
Publication Type: Information Analyses; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Authoring Institution: Phi Delta Kappa, Bloomington, IN.