Extended school year (ESY) services refer to those special education services received by students during the summer break. These services are needed for those students who receive special education services who would otherwise regress and not readily recoup skills when returning to school. Identifying students who should receive extended school…

For more than 30 years, Education Commission of the States has tracked instructional time and frequently receives requests for information about policies and trends. In this Education Trends report, Education Commission of the States addresses some of the more frequent questions, including the impact of instructional time on achievement, variation…

Many low-performing schools across the nation have increased learning time in response to federal requirements for the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program. The conditions governing federal waivers of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) also require certain schools to redesign the school day, week, or year to include additional…

This spring, officials in Fairfax County, Virginia, like those in localities across the country during these economic hard times, were in a fiscal bind and looking for any way to close a projected $650 million budget shortfall. School officials began looking seriously at slashing one line item: the nearly $3 million the county spends to fund a…

This paper describes the implementation and administration of a year-round school program in Buena Vista, Virginia, high schools. The program began in the 1973-74 school year as a practical way to meet the educational needs of children in a changing society. After examining three extended-school-year plans, the school board chose a quarter system…

The purpose of a comprehensive study of the design of the school calendar in Virginia was to identify the quality and quantity of allocated time and the amount of time spent and needed for student learning as factors determining the impact of instructional time on educational quality. Synthesizing available research and new surveys and interviews,…

In addition to the external pressures for a change in the school year, there are also pressures within the field of education that year-round schools may alleviate. In the 1960's, Prince William County faced the serious problem of rapid population growth, and today the school population continues to increase. In 1970, after considering alternative…

The current literature on year-round education is replete with feasibility studies; reports on operational programs; and thoughtful consideration of the potential effects of year-round education on the community, school, family, and child. Lay boards of education are frequently asked to make decisions on whether to implement year-round programs on…