Article Review
- 1. Article Review The Effect of Year-Round Schooling on Administrators By Luis Wildman and Associates, Educational Administration Program, 1999 Jennifer Kaupke EDA 544 January 30, 2011
- 2. This article looks at extending the school year from an uncommon perspective. Although most articles regarding extending the school year are centered on student achievement and student burnout, the article The Effect of Year-Round School on Administrators, also looked at the effect it might have on administrators. This article noted that there appears to be a mixed result regarding whether or not extending the school year increases student achievement. Studies have shown some increase in student achievement but most find that increase only in disadvantaged students. One of the main points that this article makes is that moving to a year round schedule provides a much shorter break between academic years and, therefore, many principals never take a vacation. When there are only a few weeks of summer break and many principals spend several weeks of their summer planning for the following year, their entire “break” is spent working. This schedule often leads to burnout of administrators. Although the article didn’t discuss teacher burnout, much of the same could probably be applied to most teachers who spend at least a week or two preparing for the upcoming school year. This article also identified and described three different variations of year-round schedules. The first plan is the 45/15 plan where the school year is divided into four equal groups where students are in school for 45 days followed by 15 days of vacation. The second plan is the 60/20 plan where the year is only divided into three parts and school is in session for 60 days followed by 20 days of vacation. The third plan is the Orchard plan where students and staff are all off in July but the remainder of the year is divided into five tracks in which students attend school for 60 days followed by 15 days of vacation. The article identified three main reasons that a school chooses to adopt a year round schedule: to house additional students, to improve student achievement and to save money. The
- 3. multiple-track system does accommodate a significant number of additional students. The article states that the effect of student achievement appears to be mixed. It is noted that student who have certain advantages allowed to them throughout the summer (family vacations, going to museums, etc) do not show an increase in academic achievement but students who do not have these same advantages will often benefit from a year-round schedule. Although cost is reduced in most situations, in extreme climates the cost is not reduced significantly. From a human resources perspective, there are many things that must be considered, regarding the lengthening of the school year. Budget is of very high concern. Where will the funding come from? Will teachers receive higher pay for additional days of teaching? How will schedules work with neighboring schools? Will hiring be an issue when many of our employees currently have summer jobs to supplement their income? With the current budget shortages, we must make decisions that are financially responsible and in the very best interest of all stakeholders. We must also consider the effect that increasing the school year will have on student, teacher and administrator burnout. What supports will we have in place to ensure that our employees do not become burned-out and how will we retain quality employees? The final, and probably the most critical, aspect we must consider is student achievement. If many of the studies available do not show an increase in student achievement what are we gaining by increasing our school year? Is there significant data to support our decision? Do our students fit into the category of “disadvantaged” and will, therefore, have more success? All of these questions must be carefully considered when a school is determining whether or not moving to a longer school year is the correct decision.
- 4. I chose this article because of its unique perspective. As a future principal, it was interesting to read about what the effects of a year-round schedule have on administrators. Having effective leadership within a school often dictates the success or failure of that school, therefore it is important that principal burnout is taken into consideration when making decisions for a school or district. Personally, I feel that this article makes many good points both is support and opposition of a modified school year. I have never worked in a school with a year-round schedule but I think I would prefer that type of schedule. Although it seems that increased student achievement is not guaranteed, I feel as though students would have a better mindset at the beginning of each year if they didn’t have such a long vacation. Also, having longer breaks throughout the year might help keep students and teachers from becoming burned-out during the school year. Do the disadvantages of having a longer school year outweigh the advantages? This article does a good job of bringing to light many of the issues surrounding a longer school year and its implications on our schools and personnel.