Teachers:

• Experience less burnout and fatigue, just as students do, as a result of the shorter instructional cycles (Levine & Ornstein, 1993).
• Are absent from school less (Serifs, 1990; Goldman, 1990).
• Spend less time reviewing material they have already taught.
• Can earn extra income by teaching during the intercessions (Serifs, 1990; Levine & Ornstein, 1993).

The School and Community:

• Save money by choosing the year-round model over new construction, and can increase the school capacity by 25 percent (Serifs, 1990; Dlugosh, 1994; O'Neil & Adamson, 1993).
• Experience less vandalism that can occur during long summer breaks (Serifs, 1990).
• See less incidence of juvenile delinquency (Serifs, 1990).

What Are the Concerns?

Of the three scheduling alternatives discussed in this booklet, year-round schedules are probably the most challenging to implement. Saving money by maximizing school building utilization should not be the sole motivation behind adopting a year-round schedule (Glines, 1987). Implementing a year-round calendar is a complicated process that requires the commitment not only from school staff and students, but from parents and the community as well. The whole community surrounding a year-round school or district will be affected. In order for educators to convince parents and the community that a year-round model should be implemented, they will need to counter many old arguments about time in school and present logical, compelling reasons about the benefits of modifying the traditional school calendar (Dlugosh, 1994). Just as important as knowing the benefits, however, is knowing about possible difficulties. Educators must be fully aware of the complications often associated with year-round scheduling in order to communicate effectively with the community and to create a successful program. Some of these are outlined in the following list:

• The initial cost of setting up a year-round program may be high. Renovations, such as extra storage and air conditioning, are a must in order for the program to run smoothly (Serifs, 1990).
• Some of the savings resulting from year-round programs will be offset by increased district costs, such as more school office staff or additional teaching staff (Serifs, 1990).
• There will be less time for large-scale cleaning and maintenance (Serifs, 1990).
• There will be more wear and tear on the building (Serifs, 1990).
• The scheduling process itself is quite complex and will need careful management (Goldman, 1990).
• Unless the school is using a single track plan, every school function that occurs, including parent conferences, faculty meetings, and open houses, will have to be done more than once because one segment of the school population will always be gone (Goldman, 1990; Moore, 1992).
• Careful coordination with district specialist services (i.e., speech therapists, occupational therapists, or other consultants) will be necessary, as most of them do not normally work with students over the summer (Moore, 1992).
• Parents may become frustrated if their children do not have common vacation times (Levine & Ornstein, 1993; O'Neil & Adamson, 1993).
• Multiple-track systems require extensive packing between sessions as classrooms are often shared (O'Neil & Adamson, 1993).
• Continuing education coursework may be difficult for teachers to pursue.

Implementation Ideas

Because of the complexity of implementing a year-round schedule, it is important to be aware of several suggested steps. They are as follows:

1. Become familiar with research and information on year-round calendars. Visit other year-round schools. Find out as much as possible about the pros and cons, and how these relate to current district needs.

2. Involve all local education stakeholders in the decision making process. This should include teachers, students, parents, classified staff, and the community. Keeping them informed throughout the process will minimize conflict (Serifs, 1990; Bradford, 1993; Schnieder & Townley, 1992).

3. Remember that it is most critical to have the support of teachers; if they are not in favor of the decision, there is little probability that it will be successful (Schnieder & Townley, 1992).

4. When designing the actual schedule, consider the following (White, 1995):
   • The configuration of the calendar; will it be 45-15, 60-15, or something else?
   • The number of student tracks that will work best with the chosen configuration
   • The number of holidays during the year
   • The unique needs of the school and community; build a schedule that best suits them

5. Provide ample time for staff development. The year-round schedule will require extensive changes in everything from facilities logistics to the pacing of classes (Serifs, 1990).

6. Be prepared to deal with curricula concerns such as course sequencing and continuity, and student remediation and enrichment (Serifs, 1990).

7. If possible, make the program voluntary during its initial stages. Also, let parents have a say in what track their children will be in; give them as many choices as possible (Serifs, 1990; Bradford, 1993).

8. Assure that the new schedule is in line with accreditation and teacher contract requirements.

9. Monitor the program continuously; be flexible and attentive to the needs of all involved.

10. Do not rush implementation and do not make any hasty evaluations. Accurate assessment of the program will take time (Serifs, 1990).