Summer isn’t Always a Break for Schoolchildren

WASHINGTON (AP) — For many students and teachers, summer vacation was more like summer term.

Reading lists. Science camps. Portfolio development. The to-do list for kids and teachers sounds remarkably alike.

Schools are looking to improve student performance on high-stakes tests, administrators are considering more science and technology instruction, and parents are demanding more for their children.

Giving students crayons and scissors isn't going to cut it these days, and summers no longer are "off" days for teachers, either.

Some studies suggest that students lose as much as two months of knowledge over the summer. Advocates say educators can't expect their students to succeed if they aren't learning, too.

That's why programs across the country this summer used the past couple of months to try new things.