Research on Year-Round Education

We are engaged in an ongoing international, longitudinal study of year-round schooling (YRS) funded by SSHRC.

Year-round education (YRE) is a misnomer for a school-year calendar in which the time students spend in school is allocated differently from that of a traditional school calendar with a long summer vacation. In the simplest version of YRS known as single-track, the school year often begins in July or August. Students then spend a period of nine weeks in school followed by three weeks of vacation time. Students spend the same amount of time in school as on a traditional calendar. If YRE is instituted to alleviate over-crowding, the form used most often is known as multi-track YRS. Here students and their teachers are assigned to one of several tracks, which are organized in a rotating and overlapping schedule so that some students are on vacation while others are in school. This permits more students to be accommodated within an existing building and reduces the need for portable classrooms and new buildings. The vacation period in YRS, known as inter-session, is frequently used as a time for offering remedial, enrichment, and special interest activities to students who are not "on track."

We have visited schools and districts, interviewed school and district personnel; sometimes we have examined student achievement results on standardized tests, and administered surveys to students, parents, teachers, and administrators. We have visited districts in the following areas:

Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario

The United States: Arizona, California, Florida, Missouri, Utah

Our research interests on YRS include:

• Parent perceptions
• Student academic performance
• Student attitudes and non-academic outcomes
• Teacher perceptions and experiences
• Administrative perceptions and experiences
• Leadership roles and responsibilities: school level and district level
• Organizational arrangements
• Impact of YRS on pedagogical practice
• Issues related to equity

Research Team

• Carolyn M. Shields
• Steven Lynn Oberg

Invitation

Please send us your questions, your comments, and your insights. We are interested in other studies, in people who want to be part of our study, in sharing our findings. Please contact us by email either at: carolyn.shields@ubc.ca.

Visit our YRS website at educationalresearch.com.

Our Related YRS Publications

Published

Shields, C. M., & Oberg, S. L. (1999). What can we learn from the data? Toward a Better Understanding of the Effects of Multi-track Year-Round Schooling. Urban Education, 34(2) 125-154.

Shields, C.M., & Oberg, S.L., LaRocque, L. J. (1999) The Role of District Leaders in School Reform: Implementing Year-round Schooling. Journal of School Leadership, Vol. 9, in press.

Shields, C. M., & LaRocque, L. J. (1998). Year-round schooling: A catalyst for pedagogical change. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 44(4), 366-382.

Shields, C. M., (1998). Year-round education: Is it worth the Hassle? In R.L. Kennedy & A. E. Witcher, (eds.), Time and Learning: Scheduling for Success. Phi Delta Kappan, Hot Topics Series, PDK International.

Shields, C. M., & Oberg, S. L. (1997). Exploring the myths: A comparison of parents’ attitudes to traditional and multi-track year-round school calendars. Journal of Educational Administration and Foundations.12(2), 42-60.

Shields, C. M., & LaRocque, L. J. (1997). Reflections on consultative decision-making: Challenging concepts of best practice in a provincial change initiative. The Canadian Administrator, 36(7), 1-8

Shields. C. M. (1996) Year-round education: Is it worth the hassle? ERIC Clearinghouse, ED 392136.

Shields, C. M., & LaRocque, L. J. (1995). Literature review on year-round schooling (with an annotated bibliography). ED399661.

LaRocque, L. J., & Shields, C. M. (1996). Description and analysis of school district consultation processes during phase one of the British Columbia year-round school study project, Report prepared for the British Columbia Ministry of Education. ED399660.

Unpublished:

LaRocque, L. J., Shields, C. M., Oberg, S. L. (1998). Understanding the rise and demise of year-yound schooling in Florida: A conversation between a graduate student and his professor

Shields, C.M., & LaRocque, L. J. (1998) Year-round schooling: A catalyst for pedagogical change.

Shields, C.M., Oberg, S. L., LaRocque, L. J. (1998). The role of district leadership in school reform: Implementing year-round schooling.

For more information on year-round schooling, visit our website at: educationalresearch.com.

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