In April 2013, "NEJHE" launched its "New Directions for Higher Education series" to examine emerging issues, trends and ideas that have an impact on higher education policies, programs and practices. In this installment, DiSalvio interviews Richard Ekman, president of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), an association of…

Recent litigation in Pennsylvania (Battle vs. Commonwealth, 1980) has established that handicapped children cannot be arbitrarily denied free public education beyond the normal 180-day school year. This decision is contrasted with present policies and practices governing extended school year services. (Author)

The paper examines legislation regarding the year round school model for minority handicapped students. Problems with the 12 month model are pointed out including an emphasis on the disabling characteristics of these students, lack of opportunities to learn in the community, and high costs. In addressing the need for 12 months of schooling for…

The purpose of extended year programs for severely handicapped students is pointed out and factors involving eligibility, funding, and cost-effective delivery models are analyzed. (CL)

Legal and educational issues related to year-round education for handicapped individuals are discussed. It is suggested that the concept of year-round schooling is not inconsistent with the goals of mainstreaming and the need of severely handicapped individuals to have the opportunity to generalize learned skills. (Author)

Pennsylvania's director of special education asserts that P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) is not the proper vehicle for implementing free appropriate human services to all handicapped children and their families. (Author/CL)

The paper elaborates on the position statement supporting Extended School Year (ESY) programs of the Council for Exceptional Children's Mental Retardation Division. Included are a review of ESY's background, a summary of litigation, and research on the regression/recoupment syndrome. Expanding ESY to mentally retarded students with critical needs…

This paper examines the construction of time in education, emphasizing the development of the 180-day school year. A 1991 study showed that schools throughout the United States follow a distinctive time pattern that the report labeled dysfunctional. The norm for required attendance is 180 school days, stretching across a school year that begins in…

Disputes the assertions made in "A Nation at Risk" that extended school days and years would be beneficial and that more stringent academic requirements should be adopted. Asserts that the National Commission on Excellence in Education fails to understand both foreign educational systems and American educational needs and values. (PGD)

Points made in favor of year-round education include: improved attendance; better coordination of students, vacations, and facilities; fewer discipline problems; less stressful teaching conditions; and continuity benefits for special needs students. (CB)

At this moment, in school districts throughout the United States, initiatives are being launched to extend the school day, increase homework, integrate technology, and require more high-stakes testing. The assumption underlying these initiatives is that more and more--more time in school, more homework, more technology, and more high-stakes…

There are many ways to increase the output of today's schools without an increase in the time spent there. The main focus should not be on how much time there is, but on how the time is used. (RM)

Although policymakers have recently tended to call for longer school days or years, such reforms might be ineffective or counterproductive if they fail to take into account the interactions between time and other determinants of learning, including the role of the student in allocating time. Research has shown that the amount of learning is a…

Year-round schools offer a wide enough variety of scheduling options and educational benefits that all districts should consider adopting a locally appropriate year-round format. The traditional 9-month school year is based not on educational considerations but on the economic conditions that prevailed in preindustrial society--conditions that no…

In an essay honoring "The American School Board Journal's" centennial, Lee Iacocca states that marketing a longer school year as necessary for children to be able to compete in the world might change public opinion. (MLF)