PHS Library's List: school calendar

• (Aug. 14, 2007)
• Paul von Hippel, author of the study and research statistician in sociology at Ohio State.

• The study used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, a national survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. Von Hippel examined reading and math test scores of children in kindergarten and first grade in 748 public schools and 244 private schools from around the country.

   

  Scores from students in 27 public schools classified as year-round (none of the private schools had a year-round calendar) were compared to scores of students in schools with traditional calendars.

• “There may be a slight advantage for students from the poorest families in attending year-round schools, at least when it comes to improving their reading,” he said.

   

  While the results of the study contradict one major argument for year-round schools, von Hippel said this should not be taken as an argument against year-round schedules.

   

  “On purely academic grounds, I wouldn't advocate a year-round calendar, but I can't recommend against it, either,” he said.

   

  If a school has a non-academic reason for adopting a year-round calendar – such as coping with overcrowding – it can do so without any major harm to academics. And if it already has a year-round calendar, there is no academic reason to switch back.

   

  “On the other hand, if a school is considering a year-round calendar in hope of boosting academic achievement, it seems unlikely that those hopes will be realized,” von Hippel said.
• This research was supported in part by grants from the Spencer Foundation and the National Institute for Child Health and Development.

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