For more than twenty years the educational and economic benefits of year round schooling have been debated in the United States. Experts agree that year round schooling may not be the answer to the problems of all school districts. However in more than 205 districts nation wide, problems have been resolved by year round schooling.First I need to explain that this is different from extending the school year; on a year round schedule, students attend school the same number of days-180-as students on the traditional nine-month calendar. The difference is that year round education (YRE) students have several short vacations rather than one three-month summer break. Most year-round schools operate on a multi-track calendar, and group students in three or four tracks with different vacation times. While one group is on vacation, another track is using the building. There are many benefits to year-round schooling. One positive aspect of this type of schooling is better retention for children. After a short break the children are refreshed and ready to start again without having to review what has been lost over the summer. At traditional schools, teachers spend weeks reviewing to bring children up to presummer levels. Kids on a year-round calendar learn faster, better and retain more. With shorter breaks, teachers have a much better chance of maintaining their academic skills. Not only do the children come back refreshed and ready to learn but the teachers themselves are refreshed and energetic. There's no meltdown in the spring when the three-month summer vacation is about to begin. Better retention results in improved academic performance. Studies have repeatedly shown that American high school students score well below students from other advanced countries in core academic subjects such as mathematics and history. These countries typically require longer instructional days and more of them than most American schools, where the eight-hour...
