Washington Writers' Academy is part of the Kalamazoo Public Schools' Summer Slide Reduction Pilot, which provides a year-round school experience. Research shows that lengthy summer breaks have an adverse impact on reading levels, especially for those students who lack access to libraries and summer enrichment experiences. With shorter summer breaks, student reading and other achievement should increase.
Under the pilot, the annual number of days and hours will remain the same as in the district's other elementary schools, but the days will be configured differently, with a shorter summer break and somewhat longer breaks connected to the district's current breaks.