Education Week Teacher – Brooke Peters
“Education reformers created the summer break in the 1840’s to equalize the learning time in urban and rural schools, alleviate medical concerns, and ensure that students were not over-stimulated. With labor law reform and contemporary developments in technology, medicine, and agriculture, this once reasonable justification is now outdated. A decision made in large part to promote educational equality has now created an achievement gap between those who have access to academic and enrichment summer activities and those who do not. Significantly shortening summer vacation would have a variety of upsides.” (more)