The argument for year-around schooling

As summer wraps up and schools begins a new academic year, some are wondering about the achievment gap caused by three months of no classroom instruction. Research suggests that many who make academic progress in subjects like math and science can easily see a loss of knowledge when they do not engage in the subject material for an extended period of time.

Schools in other parts of the country, however, are operating on year-round schedules that shorten the traditional summer vacation while adding breaks through the year. This averages 180 days of instruction, according to the U.S. Department of Education, and seeks to stem the learning loss. In fact, more than 2 million students in 3,000 schools in 46 states attended school year-round in 2006-2007.

Some proponents, like President Barack Obama, urge longer school years to help American students compete with students around the globe, some of whom attend school up to 25 or 30 percent longer than American students, according to Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

View an in-depth analysis of year-round schooling at DistrictAdministration.com.