School’s out for summer...OR
IS IT?

It’s T-minus 30 days until summer break for most, but teachers at Annapolis High School in Maryland might not be packing their beach bags or scheduling summer job hours just yet. The school superintendent this winter unveiled a plan calling for teachers to stick around throughout the summer to work with struggling students, train, and plan, in exchange for extra pay.

“It’s just too much of an imposition on personal time,” says Diana Peckham, the head of the school’s faculty council. “Most teachers are looking forward to spending time with their children during those months. Many younger teachers are meeting course requirements to get further degrees, and older teachers need recuperation.”

Educators in a number of states, including Minnesota, Delaware, Illinois, New Mexico, and Massachusetts, might find their summer plans being put on hold, too, as administrators consider lengthening the traditional 180-day calendar in an attempt to raise student achievement. Guess that summer reading will have to wait.

—NADINE SIMPSON