Overview
The single track system shows minimal gains in academic achievement with a significantly improved attitude toward school for minimal to no cost, it really comes down to just an opinion as to which you prefer when compared to the traditional school system. The multitrack school year shows some gains to student achievement and an improved attitude toward school along with potentially large cost cuts. The extended school year shows the largest improvement in teaching outcomes of the teaching schedules explored here, however is accompanied by the largest increase in cost.
With this information I believe that the school system that will give maximum gains is a miltitrack extended school year system, it utilizes the improvements in academic outcomes from the extended school year along with the cost cutting benefits of the multitrack calendar. By spreading out vacation days impact on students negative outlook toward school is minimized. While it is highly unlikely that the multitrack part of this system will save schools more money than the extension of the school year will cost, this option still calls for a relatively small increase in school funding in comparison to the gains made. Being that the addition of 30 days is an 16.6% increase in the length of the school year and at best the multitrack school system can save up to 15% in expenses, the increase in costs is small. This is only an increase in cost of 1.6% if you assume that costs go up perfectly scaled to number of school days, and they shouldn't: these extra 30 days don't require extra computers or rooms and other such share-able materials. In this situation the increases in costs are extremely small and as such this form of education is extremely cost effective.
With this information I believe that the school system that will give maximum gains is a miltitrack extended school year system, it utilizes the improvements in academic outcomes from the extended school year along with the cost cutting benefits of the multitrack calendar. By spreading out vacation days impact on students negative outlook toward school is minimized. While it is highly unlikely that the multitrack part of this system will save schools more money than the extension of the school year will cost, this option still calls for a relatively small increase in school funding in comparison to the gains made. Being that the addition of 30 days is an 16.6% increase in the length of the school year and at best the multitrack school system can save up to 15% in expenses, the increase in costs is small. This is only an increase in cost of 1.6% if you assume that costs go up perfectly scaled to number of school days, and they shouldn't: these extra 30 days don't require extra computers or rooms and other such share-able materials. In this situation the increases in costs are extremely small and as such this form of education is extremely cost effective.