Year-Round Education

Anita Pankake

Year-round education (YRE) is a reorganization of the traditional school calendar into shorter attendance sessions with more frequent vacations. There is generally no increase in the number of attendance days, merely a rearrangement. Various scheduling options are available within the two design types of single and multitrack systems. Configurations are selected based on need, purpose, budget, or some combination of these. The current 9-month school calendar emerged when 85% of Americans were involved in agriculture. Today, only about 3% of American livelihoods are tied to the agricultural cycle, and air-conditioning makes it possible for schools to provide comfortable learning environments year-round. Even rural America is no longer made up of individuals and families whose lives revolve around growing crops or tending livestock. With these drastic economic and technological changes, many find it puzzling that the school calendar remains agrarian based with the extended summer vacation. Educators and parents often voice ...

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