Within the context of this paper, a balanced, or year-round, school year calendar is not one that necessarily increases either the length or number of school days. It is one that provides for "more continuous learning" by dividing up the traditional summer break into shorter intersessions during the year. It might seem to be a…

In this age of education innovation and reform, schools must evolve and react to current policy trends. This accessible book offers research-based insights into six key educational trends and issues that are impacting K-12 learning today: year-round schooling, assessments, educating minorities, anti-intellectualism, issues of social promotion and…

For more than 100 years the public school system has been the foundation of our society. Millions of our nation's citizens have moved through the primary, middle and secondary schools which, although they vary slightly from region to region, provided a shared experience and are a part of Americana. History tells us the reasons that school systems…

The National Center on Time & Learning (NCTL), an organization dedicated to redesigning and expanding school time to improve opportunities and outcomes for high-poverty students, has again teamed up with the Education Commission of the States (ECS), whose mission it is to foster the exchange of ideas on education issues among the states, to…

In recent years, lean economic conditions have led to state and local agency budget cuts, including reductions to elementary and secondary education. To compensate for less state funding and decreasing local revenues, many state legislatures have passed policy and funding bills that give school systems more latitude in making finance and program…

Presidential commissions, parents, academics, and employers have proposed the same solutions, again and again, for fixing the time students spend in school: (1) Add more days to the annual school calendar; (2) Change to year-round schools; (3) Add instructional time to the daily schedule; and (4) Extend the school day. Three reasons--cost,…

To achieve professional status teachers must and live up to--full-year contracts and full-year positions. (LLR)

Uses multiple-voices methodology to describe lessons learned during implementation of year-round school calendar at the Francis Howell School District, the first and longest running year-round school in North America. (Contains 25 references.) (PKP)

With decreasing enrollment, decreasing funding for public school education, changes in family and societal needs, and the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act, policymakers and school leaders are wrestling with reforms to the school calendar and instructional time spent in the classroom, with the goal of increasing student achievement.…

Year-round education is doomed to fail, believes this educator. She feels that 12 months of the same kind of schooling we are offering today will only extend our existing problems. (Editor)

One hotly-debated topic related to scheduling is year-round schooling. While still the exception rather than the rule, year-round schooling (also called extended learning) is growing in popularity. According to the National Association for Year-Round Education (NAYRE), 3,180 public schools were operating year-round in 2002-2003. California leads…

Describes the concept of year-round schools and examines several programs including the quarter system plan in Atlanta, the 45-15 plan in Illinois, and a Colorado plan entitled Concept 6'', where students alternate 43 days of vacation with 86 days of school. (DN)

Surveyed principals and superintendents in South Dakota to elicit opinions about a longer school year or longer school days. One-half of the respondents oppose increasing the amount of time that students spend in schools. Of those who favor adding more time, increasing the number of days would be the preferred way. (KS)

One school's experience - the good and the bad, the exciting and the frustrating - with year-round schooling is reported here. (Editor)