If one uses

\setuplayout[header][text][frame=on]

then the frame is drawn on pages with header=empty but not drawn on pages 
with header=high.

By default, the 'empty' pagebreak method (in page-txt.mkvi) sets the 
header and footer state to empty rather than high. This means that header 
frames are drawn on empty pages. For example, see attached file.

Would it make sense to change the definition in page-txt.mkvi to the 
following:

\installpagebreakmethod \v!empty
   {\page_otr_flush_all_floats
    \page_otr_command_next_page

\doifnot{\namedlayoutelementparameter\v!header\c!state}\v!stop{\setuplayoutelement[\v!header][\c!state=\v!high]}%

\doifnot{\namedlayoutelementparameter\v!footer\c!state}\v!stop{\setuplayoutelement[\v!footer][\c!state=\v!high]}%
    \page_otr_insert_dummy_page}

\installpagebreakmethod \v!header

{\doifnot{\namedlayoutelementparameter\v!header\c!state}\v!stop{\setuplayoutelement[\v!header][\c!state=\v!high]}}

\installpagebreakmethod \v!footer

{\doifnot{\namedlayoutelementparameter\v!footer\c!state}\v!stop{\setuplayoutelement[\v!footer][\c!state=\v!high]}}

or, if that is too drastic of a change, create a new pagebreakmethod 
called high. This request is motivated by:

http://tex.stackexchange.com/q/110701/323

Aditya