The last day of school is arguably the highlight of the year for kids. It’s also an ebullient milestone that fills parents with potent nostalgia and hazy longing for the summers of their own youth. Like a desert mirage, the next school year shimmers on the horizon of a hot, seemingly endless expanse of time.
But what if school didn’t end for the summer? What if breaks were divided more evenly throughout the year? Some education advocates tout the benefits of what’s called a “balanced calendar,” which spreads vacation time equally across the seasons—a reimagining of what school can be, for the betterment of working parents, teachers, and students alike.
