Single‐track year‐round education for improving academic achievement in U.S. K‐12 schools: Results of a meta‐analysis

Abstract

Background Research shows that over summer break, students forget approximately 1 month of learning in math and reading; furthermore, low‐income students lose ground relative to peers. Year‐round education (YRE) redistributes schooldays to shorten summer. Prior analyses pooled single‐track YRE (academic intervention in which all students attend school on a common calendar) and multitrack YRE (fiscal intervention countering overcrowding, in which groups of students attend school on staggered schedules). Search Methods Systematic search of 22 online databases in summer 2017 yielded 494 de‐duplicated results; 81 warranted full‐text examination. After applying selection criteria, nine studies met criteria but did not report data that allowed effect size calculation. Thirty studies constituted our analytic sample. Selection Criteria Studies needed to be of K‐12 single‐track YRE (not multitrack, not a mix of single‐ and multitrack, and not a study that did not specify track), with no accompanying extended instructional time. Studies needed to be from 2001 to 2016, include outcome data, and include a comparison group. Data We extracted 55 math g, 58 reading g, 29 math odds ratio, and 27 reading odds ratio effect sizes. Results Students at single‐track YRE schools show modestly higher achievement in both math and reading—by a magnitude similar to estimates of summer learning loss—but comparable proficiency. Unexpectedly, the effect was no greater for historically disadvantaged students. Math effects may be larger in middle than elementary school, but the reason is unclear. Importantly, studies of schools that shortened summer to the fewest weeks showed the largest effects in both subjects.

The Learning Sciences Framework in Educational Leadership

“…The International School of Bangkok has recently tried "flipping" their leadership meetings (sending video summaries before actually meeting) to leverage time for deeper and more personal exchanges and to make policy decisions after taking advantage of the social aspects of learning (Simmers, personal conversation, October 2019). A recent meta-analysis of K-12 schools that have moved to year-round schooling show modest but positively improved results (Fitzpatrick and Burns, 2019). Glen Whitman at the Center For Transformative Teaching has been training teacher leaders to understand the principles of learning science and to incorporate them into real classroom settings.…”

Blended learning for the “multi-track” undergraduate students in Ghana in an adverse era

“…The multi-track year-round education (MT-YRE) refers to allocating school days evenly across the calendar year and dividing the entire student body into separate tracks that rotate on and off break, permitting a school to serve a larger student body through continual use of the same school facility [26] . At most times, MT-YRE is a response to overcrowding by increasing space in a school building without incurring the cost of building new classrooms and facilities [21] . This was the case in Ghana when it was initially rolled out in SHSs in Ghana because of an increment in enrollment following the implementation of the “free senior high school” policy (a policy that was implemented by the incumbent government in 2017 to ensure free and equitable access of secondary education to junior high school graduates in Ghana who gained admission to the senior high school).…”

Perceptions of Test Score Pollution Stemming From COVID-19 and State Testing: An Exploratory Case Study

“…Instead, extending the school year to include summer months could help bridge the learning gap and better prepare students for standardized tests. Studies by Campbell et al (2019) and Fitzpatrick and Burns (2019) have shown that summer learning programs can help students make academic gains in reading and mathematics, especially for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. By providing additional instruction time, students can catch up on what they missed due to the pandemic, and teachers can teach test-taking strategies to improve results.…”