How summer vacation became a burden, not a break

Contrary to a widely held perception, public school summer vacations are not getting shorter. And that’s a shame.

- Randall Bloomquist, Tribune News Service

Despite some movement toward “balanced schedules” that include more breaks during the school year, summer vacations still average 10 weeks, unchanged from 20 years ago. Trimming back this mind-numbing break would improve our kids' scholastic performance and take an onerous burden off middleand lower-income families. The notion of the shrinking summer break stems from a growing shift in its timing. When I was a kid, summer vacation ran from early June to the day after Labor Day. This year, my daughter started school on August 4. A neighboring school district resumed classes on July 31. School officials say the early start allows them to complete the semester and conduct final exams before the winter holiday. I suspect they also want to get their students prepped for the standardized testing that often takes place in the fall and can affect the school system's federal funding.