A sociologist at Ohio State University found that, over a full year, English and reading test scores improved about the same amount for children in year-round schools as they did for students whose schools followed a traditional nine-month calendar.

�We found that students in year-round schools learn more during the summer, when others are on vacation, but they seem to learn less than other children during the rest of the year,� said Paul von Hippel, author of the study and research statistician in sociology at Ohio State.