A combination class is formed when students from two adjacent grades are placed in one classroom under the supervision of one teacher. Two recent studies indicate that combination classes may contribute to lower student achievement in multitrack year-round schools. (eight references) (MLF)

Eight high schools in three California school districts are on multitrack year-round schedules. Interviews with personnel from these schools and from two districts considering a year-round schedule highlight the effect of year-round schedules on student learning, management issues, extracurricular activities, and school culture. (MLF)

This conference presentation examines planning tools that provide professional development opportunities to build capacity and improve student achievement, focusing on year-round education. It emphasizes how to bridge the current gap between professional development practices and a professional's capacity to enable students to meet standards by…

Presents strategies for solving 13 common personnel problems that frequently emerge with the implementation of year-round schools. Issues focus on staffing and working conditions. (MLF)

This article reviews research on mathematics learning and forgetting, especially for students with learning and other disabilities. It notes the important role of mathematical language and the substantial loss of mathematics achievement over the summer vacation. Year-round schooling is encouraged to eliminate prolonged interruptions in…

Poses six questions for administrators considering a year-round, multitrack school schedule. Discusses probable constraints concerning implementation levels, class organization, staff preparation, and impact on plant maintenance, summer school programs, and community relations. Classroom sharing and summer school present special difficulties;…

This report on year-round education as it directly affects elementary school libraries focuses on two major aspects of impact: people (site level instructional media center clerks, district personnel, and delivery of library services to both students and staff) and things (the library collection, equipment, and the facility itself). General…

Urges implementation of a 48-week school year offering an optional fourth quarter that could be used for remediation or enrichment. Describes the impact of such a year on students, on parents' schedules, on teachers' salaries and schedules, and on administration. Considers factors affecting public acceptance of such a change. (PGD)

The Oxnard School District initiated a Year Round Education (YRE) program beginning in 1976. In 1984 the district maintained eleven YRE schools and four traditional schools. All the YRE schools are on a 60-20 plan with four staggered YRE tracks and a fifth track offering a traditional school year calendar. This cost analysis outlines how the…

The goal of California's classroom size reduction (CSR) program is to have 20 or fewer students in kindergarten through grade 3 classrooms. Districts receive $650 for each student in a reduced classroom. Describes how districts implemented the plan and offers five lessons from struggles and successes with CSR. A table displays average elementary…

School districts have come up with some money-saving practices that include auditing utility bills, turning off lights, installing light fixtures that are more cost-efficient, keeping track of what the district owns, and shopping for better deals with utilities. (MLF)

Year round school programs are more difficult to implement in secondary schools because of the nature of teaching and the seasonal organization of extracurricular activities in high schools. There is no one year round program that is desirable for all schools. When considering a year round program for the first time the following variables should…

Elementary schools are continuously growing in student population. The increase in student population requires innovative management practices aimed at uniting and furthering progress within school sites. While the increase in student enrollment coupled with growth in staff can be challenging, possibilities of seamless transitions of practice can…

An increase in the number of schools adopting year-round programs prompted this analysis of all year-round education programs in California. Chapter 1, "Introduction to the Study," outlines study organization and calendar scheduling plans. "Design of the Study," chapter 2, describes data obtained from interviews, surveys,…

An introduction to the issues involved in converting to one of the many 12-month school schedules is provided in this primer. A brief historical review of school calendars and a summary of various year-round education (YRE) plans is followed by a discussion of the advantages of adopting YRE and an analysis of variables for success or failure.…