AR SB711

Directs the interim Senate Committee on Education and interim House Committee on Education to jointly study the advantages and disadvantages of adopting an extended school year in Arkansas.

Requires the committees to report their findings to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than October 1, 2012.

Study must examine 13 specific areas including impact on teachers and school personnel, costs to state and districts, facility needs, tourism industry effects, curriculum and instruction, testing cycles, and Common Core Standards impact.

Additional study topics include expansion of curriculum requirements, identification of ineffective programs, financial efficiencies for extended learning time, flexibility in scheduling, accountability measures, and comparison of instructional time with other industrialized nations.