Running head: YEAR ROUND SCHOOLING

Year Round Schooling: Literature Review

EDU 600: Teacher as Leader
Kayla Pollak

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I currently teach third grade in a Title I school where the majority of our students receive
free and reduced lunch and about sixty percent of our student population are classified as ESL
students. Last year, only thirty percent of our incoming third graders were reading on grade
level. The teachers in my district often find themselves spending the first two months of school
re-teaching and reviewing academic content from the prior year, because so many students have
forgotten the foundational skills over the summer months. Due to the many obstacles my school
district faces, the leaders of our school system have been trying to find a way to cut down on
summer learning losschanging to a year round calendar is one option they are considering. I
chose to research the effects of year round schooling because it directly impacts me as an
educator. The three focus questions I attempted to answer while researching this topic are as
follows: 1) Does year round schooling positively impact student achievement? 2) What effect
does year round schooling have on administrators and teachers? 3) Does year round schooling
meet the needs of all students?
In the article The Effect of Year-Round Schooling on Administrators, Wildman et al.
(1999) address a few issues relating to year round schooling. One of those issues being the
effects that year round schooling can have on administrators. Wildman et al. (1999) found that
many administrators who work in year round schools experience severe burnout along with the
overwhelming feeling of having to choose between work and family. Although most principals
are given about a month vacation, the majority of administrators only take one or two days off at
a time (Wildman et al., 1999). Many administrators feel that because their school is open year
round, they too should be present year round (Wildman et al., 1999). Additionally, because the
school is constantly open, there is a steady flow of paperwork. One principal stated that if he did
take an extended vacation during the year, a mountain of work would greet him upon his return,

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which makes it difficult to actually enjoy vacation time with family (Wildman et al., 1999).
However, according to a 1989 study that measured the levels of stress and burnout in public
school administrators for year round schools as well as traditional schools, D. Ann French found
that administrators in year round schools did not experience any more stress or burnout than
administrators in traditional schools (Wildman et al., 1999). Wildman et al. (1999) argues that
while many year round school administrators do experience burnout and high stress levels due to
less extended vacation time, it is, in a way, their own fault. Administrators of year round schools
can take extended time off, but many choose not to do so because they have trouble relinquishing
control (Wildman et al., 1999).
This article also briefly addresses the issue of student achievement as it relates to the year
round calendar. As with many studies Ive read, this article falls in line with the idea that while
year round schools have a slight advantage in terms of student achievement, there is no
significant impact (Wildman et al., 1999, p. 467). In fact, one assistant superintendent of a
California school district stated that their schools have been on the year round calendar since
1988, and since then there has been no significant change in students standardized test scores
(Wildman et al., 1999, p. 467). Lastly, this article considers whether or not year round schooling
meets the needs of all students. Wildman et al. (1999) believes that summers off can actually be
beneficial to those with strong family ties and to children who are able to participate in fun
summer activities. However, Wildman et al. (1999) makes a point to argue that many
disadvantaged students who come from low socioeconomic households often show little or no
academic growth over the summer if they simply roam the streets all day without supervision
(Wildman et al., 1999, p. 468). This reinforces the thought that year round schooling is more

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beneficial to students whose home lives are not as conducive to learning, remediation, and
enrichment.
In Contrasting Experiences of White Students and Students of Color In a Year-Round
High School, Hood and Freeman (2000) seek to find out the impact intercessions have on
students of varying races. Jones High School is comprised of the following racial make-up: 52%
white, 26% Hispanic, 14% African American, 4% Asian American, and 4% Native American.
The school is on a year round schedule in which the year is broken up into four nine-week
quarters followed by a two week intercession (Hood & Freeman, 200). During these
intercessions, students can stay home and enjoy a long vacation or they can choose to take part in
intercession weeks in which they are able to engage in remediation courses, acceleration courses,
or enrichment courses (Hood & Freeman, 2000). The majority of students that participated in the
intercession weeks elected to take part in remediation courses as opposed to acceleration and
enrichment courses. In fact, approximately 60% of all intercession courses were taken for
remediation (Hood & Freeman, 2000, p. 353). It was found that male students were most likely
to participate in at least one intercession course and African American students were more likely
to take part in one or more intercession class than any other race (Hood & Freeman, 2000).
Additionally, students of color were the biggest population of students to participate in
remediation courses as well as the least likely to take part in acceleration and enrichment courses
(Hood & Freeman, 2000). When analyzing the effects that these intercession courses had on
students GPAs, the results were mixed. Students who participated in one or more intercession
courses showed moderate, but steady increases in their year-to-year GPAs (Hood & Freeman,
2000, p. 358). The study shows that intercession classes most benefitted students who were
struggling academically because the remediation courses gave those students the opportunity to

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catch up and get extra practice with difficult skills (Hood & Freeman, 2000). However, it is
noted that students who did not participate in intercessions consistently outperformed their
counterparts who elected to take advantage of these options (Hood & Freeman, 2000, 358).
One can gather that this is because students who did not participate in intercessions were
generally Caucasian students who were already academically advanced; therefore, despite
African American students taking part in remediation courses, the Caucasian population would
still outperform the students of color because of the underlying achievement gap.
A Statewide Evaluation of Academic Achievement in Year-Round Schools focuses on whether
or not a year round calendar positively impacts student achievement. In short, the answer is no.
McMillen (2001) compared standardized test scores of year round students in North Carolina to
those students in traditional schools in North Carolina. The results were that there was no
statistically significant difference in reading or mathematics achievement (McMillen, 2001, p.
71). McMillan (2001) does note, however, that factors such as race, gender, and parental
education did have a significant impact on student achievementbut not year round calendar
versus traditional calendar. This study seems like it could easily lead to another study about why
students of color and students from low socioeconomic households constantly perform lower on
standardized tests.
Year-round schooling: a catalyst for pedagogical change focuses on how a year round
calendar shapes the attitudes of students and teachers in addition to allowing more opportunities
for student and teacher learning to take place. Shields and Larocque (1997) study three different
schools that have adopted a year round calendar and analyze how the calendar shift has allowed
for other meaningful changes to take place within the schools (Shields & Larocque, 1997). This
particular article argues that year round schooling has a positive impact on teachers partly

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because it helps educators to become more flexible (Shields & Larocque, 1997). One teacher
stated that there is something about having to move every nine weeks which makes you more
organized and more ready to innovate (Shields & Larocque, 1997). Teachers looked at
intercessions as an opportunity for all students to showcase, or discover, their gifts and talents
(Shields & Larocque, 1997). During intercession weeks, teachers taught students of varying ages
specifically, students in different grades than the teacher was used to teaching (Shields &
Larocque, 1997). This was purposeful and thoughtful. Teachers and administrators thought that
it would challenge educators to step out of their comfort zones, in addition to promoting teacher
learning. Teachers could then take what they learned with a different group of students and
apply that knowledge to their own classroom (Shields & Larocque, 1997). The main argument
of this article is that these schools were able to implement ideas to increase achievement and
innovation which would not have been possible had there not been a change in the school
calendar (Shields & Larocque, 1997). Shields and Larocque (1997) argue that the redistribution
of school days positively impacts teachers because it allows for more meaningful planning.
During the weeks in between instructional blocks, after some needed rest and relaxation, teachers
are able to plan meaningful lessons with their students needs in mind (Shields & Larocque,
1997). In traditional calendar schools, many teachers spend their summers planning for the
upcoming year, yet they have no idea what their class profile will be like. In year round schools,
teachers know their students needs and are able to better plan with those needs in mind,
therefore increasing the likelihood of student achievement (Shields & Larocque, 1997).
The authors of The Effects of Modified School Calendars make it clear that there is not an
abundance of quality research when it comes to year round schooling. Cooper, Charlton, and
Melson (2003) noted that one reason it is so difficult to determine the effects a modified school

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calendar has on student achievement is because there are so many variables: single track schools,
multi-track schools, schools that implement intercessions, schools that do not offer intercessions,
etc. Cooper, Charlton, and Melson (2003) tend to agree with McMillen (2001) in the fact that
students who attend year round schools might have a slightly higher chance at outperforming
students who attend traditional calendar schools (Cooper, Charlton, and Melson, 2003).
However, if student achievement increases at all, it will not make a significant difference on
standardized test scores (Cooper, Charlton, and Melson, 2003). Cooper, Charlton, and Melson
(2003) describe countless studies in their paper, all of which had different and mixed results with
regard to the effects of year round schooling. However, there has been one consensus among all
the various studiesthat is: lower performing students from low socioeconomic homes who
attend year round school have performed higher than the same type of students who attend
traditional school (Cooper, Charlton, and Melson, 2003).
After reading all of these articles, I have formed a few opinions of my own, based upon the
research shared above. Being an educator in todays world, it is easy to hear the words student
achievement and associate that with good scores on standardized tests. However, student
achievement is much more than a grade on a multiple-choice assessment. Student achievement
can be measured in a variety of wayswhether through assessments that measure growth or
through a student showcasing a hidden talent during an intercession course. I sought to answer
the question does year round schooling positively impact student achievement? but I failed to
see that achievement is in the eye of the beholder. I believe that year round schooling does
positively impact student achievement because it opens doors for other opportunities that
promote growth and change. I cannot definitively state whether or not year round schooling
increases scores on standardized testing; however, I can say that based off the studies I read, low

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performing students in year round schools consistently increased their scores on standardized
tests. The majority of students in the school where I teach are classified as low performing
students from low socioeconomic households. Because of that, I would say that it is most likely
in the best interest of my school to make the switch to a year round calendar, even if the positive
impact is considered too small to be classified as significant. While changing to a year round
calendar might have an initial negative impact on teachers and administrators, I think it is our
duty as educators to do what is best for our student population. Teachers and administrators have
some control over what type of impact the calendar change has on them. Teachers can choose to
embrace the change and use it as motivation to increase collaboration, achievement, and
innovation.

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9
References

Cooper, H., Valentine, J. C., Charlton, K., & Melson, A. (2003). The effects of modified school
calendars on student achievement and on school and community attitudes. Review of
Educational Research, 73(1), 1-52. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.une.idm.oclc.org/docview/214122165?accountid=12756

Hood, S., & Freeman, D. J. (2000). Contrasting Experiences of White Students and Students of
Color in a Year-Round High School. The Journal of Negro Education, 69(4), 349360.
http://doi.org/10.2307/2696250

McMillen, B. J. (2001). A Statewide Evaluation of Academic Achievement in Year-Round

Schools. The Journal of Educational Research, 95(2), 6774. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/27542361

Shields, C. M., & Larocque, L. J. (1998). Year-round schooling: A catalyst for pedagogical
change. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 44(4), 366-382. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.une.idm.oclc.org/docview/228588626?accountid=12756

Wildman, L., Arambula, S., Bryson, D., Bryson, T., & al, e. (1999). The effect of year-round
schooling on administrators. Education, 119(3), 465-472+. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.une.idm.oclc.org/docview/196424569?accountid=12756