• Year-Round Education

Year-Round Education
This IPRO report explains the different types of year-round education and their advantages and
disadvantages to students, parents, and faculty. A comparison of the number of year-round
schools in Iowa and other Midwestern states is also provided.
Traditional versus Year Round Calendar
Figure 1 below compares the calendar for a typical traditional 180-day school year and a typical
balanced or modified calendar (year-round education) school year. Both charts only include
work-days Monday through Friday.
Figure 11
Traditional Calendar Year-Round Calendar
Year-Round Education
In a year-round education system, schools reduce the summer break and spread those days
throughout the school year, creating shorter, more frequent breaks.
Single Track Year-Round Education2
A single-track year-round calendar has a shorter summer vacation with additional vacation days
spread throughout the year into periods called “intercession.” A common type of single-track
calendar is 45 days on, 15 days off, 30 days on, 3 days off, 15 days on, 15 days off, 45 days on,
15 days off, 45 days on, and 30 days off.
1
"NAYRE: Calendars." NAYRE Specialists in Time and Learning. National Association for Year Round Education.
.
2
"NAYRE: Typical Calendars." NAYRE Specialists in Time and Learning. National Association for Year Round
Education. .
Multi-Track Year-Round Education 3
A multi-track year-round system generally follows the same pattern of days on and off as single
track year-round system, but teachers and students are assigned different start dates for the
pattern. In other words, some teachers and students are in school while others are on vacation.
This allows school facilities to accommodate more students. For example, with a four-track
year-round calendar, a school with the capacity of 750 students could accommodate 1,000 by
only having three tracks of 250 in school at the same time.
Proponents of Year-Round Education4
According to the National Association for Year-Round Education (NAYRE), year round
education:
 Reduces class sizes and overcrowding in growing school districts if a multi-track year
round education systems used
 Provides students the opportunity for tutoring or enrichment services if they are
struggling in academics because of more frequent intercessions
 Decreases the amount of review time needed in the classroom because of a more
continuous schedule
 Offers students’ parents a more continuous childcare service because students would not
be out of school for three-months during the summer
Opponents of Year-Round Education
Although proponents contend that shorter breaks increase student achievement, several studies
have concluded that there is little if any education benefit to year-round education.5 According
to opponents, such as the Coalition for a Traditional School Year, year-round education:6
 Limits opportunities for students to have non-academic activities or jobs because of
shorter breaks.
 Decreases teachers’ ability to use summer months to obtain higher degrees and
professional development.
 Increases costs (maintenance, air conditioning, etc.) because of year-round classes.
 Creates possible family problems with childcare and parental involvement if children in a
family are on different tracks (and schedules) in a multi-track system.
3
Ibid
4
"NAYRE: Common Questions." NAYRE Specialists in Time and Learning. National Association for Year Round
Education. .
5
"Educational Wiki: Year-Round Schools." Curriculum, Technology, & Education Reform. University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. .
6
"Year Round Calendar issues." Coalition For a Traditional School Year. Coalition For a Traditional School Year.
.
Current Statistics and Trends
National Statistics
In the fall of 2007, 62.9 million students were enrolled in elementary and secondary schools
across the country.7 Of those, over 2 million students in 3,000 schools in 46 states attended
school year-round.8 These numbers include both public and private schools.
Year-Round Schools in Iowa
During the 2005-2006 school year, nearly 500,000 students were enrolled in approximately
1,500 elementary and secondary schools in Iowa.9 Of these, nearly 7,000 students in 18 schools
across the state attended school year-round. In Iowa, all year-round schools are public.10
Year-Round Schools in the Midwest
A comparison of the number of year-round schools in Iowa and surrounding states is provided in
the table below.
Figure 2111213
Total Year- Total Year- Approximate
Total Schools
Round Schools Round Schools Percent of Year-
(Private and Public)
(Private) (Public) Round Schools
Iowa 1,519 0 18 1.2%
Illinois 4,434 3 65 1.5%
Minnesota 2,759 3 23 1%
Missouri 2,361 6 14 1%
Nebraska 1,225 0 4