Students Can’t Afford to Take the Whole Summer Off
A long break will widen a learning deficit that’s already too big.
New normal.
Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images
Having slogged through weeks of unevenly administered distance learning, schools in the U.S. are preparing to shut down for the summer. Amid the stress of the pandemic, students, teachers and parents undoubtedly deserve a break. They should keep it short.
How to get students back in classrooms will be driven by public health considerations. In areas at low risk of coronavirus outbreaks, schools might safely reopen if they plan for proper social distancing. For everyone else, some form of remote learning should continue. Forgoing a traditional 10- to 12-week summer vacation might not go over well with students, to say nothing of the adults who will need to supervise their work. But especially for disadvantaged children, the alternative is worse.