[Annotated] Long summer holidays are bad for children, especially the poor

Many parents also find them a struggle 

The summer holidays have just begun, but it is a busy morning at Cadoxton Primary School, in Barry, an industrial town in^[각주:1] Wales. It runs a summer programme for hard-up children^[각주:2], providing meals and activities over the holidays. As youngsters run laughing^[각주:3] and screaming into the school cafeteria for breakfast, their parents saunter out, some visibly relieved. Just three days into the six-week school holidays one beleaguered mother says^[각주:4] her nine-year-old daughter has already asked five times to go bowling. Without the school's help, she says, "it would be a long and expensive six weeks". 

In the popular imagination, school summer holidays conjure up a picture of^[각주:5] carefree^[각주:6] youthful exploration^[각주:7]. But many parents rely on the term-time services that^[각주:8] schools give their offspring^[각주:9], such as supervision^[각주:10] and meals. Come the holidays, they can suddenly find their schedules and budgets stretched^[각주:11]. Researchers also say that the long break often sets back children's learning^[각주:12], and that children from poorer backgrounds are disproportionately affected^[각주:13]. 

The vast majority of the world's school calendars include summer holidays. Their length ranges from three weeks in South Korea to three months in^[각주:14] America, Italy and Latvia. The holidays' 19th-century origins are hazy^[각주:15]. It is popularly believed that^[각주:16] they are a hangover from^[각주:17] the West's agrarian past^[각주:18], when families needed their children's help in the fields during the summer; but many historians think the evidence for this is thin^[각주:19]. 

Experts talk of^[각주:20] "summer learning loss", in which children return to school having forgotten some of what was taught the year before^[각주:21]. "It is pretty clear that kids forget things over the summer," says Harris Cooper of Duke University in North Carolina. A study, using test-score data from students aged seven to 15 in an unnamed state in^[각주:22] America's South in 2008-12, found that on average^[각주:23] children lost more than a quarter of their school-year learning over the summer. Evidence from other countries is scarce^[각주:24]. But studies have found that children regress over the summer even in^[각주:25] Belgium, Britain, Canada, Germany and Malawi, all of which have much shorter summer breaks than America's. 

Losing it 

The impact appears to vary^[각주:26] by socioeconomic class^[각주:27]. Many poor children fall behind their wealthier peers over the holidays^[각주:28]. "Summer is the most unequal time of the year," says Matthew Boulay of the National Summer Learning Association, an American NGO. Well-off parents^[각주:29] can fill the gap left by school, keeping their children stimulated with summer camps^[각주:30], trips abroad or private tuition^[각주:31]. Poorer families, obviously, find this harder. Demand for subsidized "enrichment" activities^[각주:32] often outstrips supply^[각주:33]. Mr Boulay recalls meeting a mother in Oregon who queued for four hours to^[각주:34] enroll for free swimming lessons for her son^[각주:35]. 

Holidays can be a financial strain^[각주:36], too. In countries where some children receive free school meals, summer means bigger grocery bills^[각주:37] for hard-up families. Households where^[각주:38] both parents work have to pay for extra child care, too. The Family and Childcare Trust, a charity, says that in Britain, where out-of-pocket child-care costs are^[각주:39] the highest in the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries, parents will spend an average of ￡133($172) per child, per week on child care this summer. 

Natasha Cockram, who runs the summer programme at Cadoxton Primary School, worries that^[각주:40] many children in Barry will spend most of the summer indoors^[각주:41], glued to their screens^[각주:42], because parents are both unable to afford child care or activities and also loth to^[각주:43] let them roam unsupervised^[각주:44]. "I get very bored at home," complains one six-year-old taking part in the summer programme^[각주:45]. "There's nothing to do except sit on the sofa and watch TV." Older children, too, may have less to keep them busy. Data from the Pew Research Centre suggest that the number of 16- to 19-year-olds in America with paid summer jobs has fallen from over a half in 2000 to roughly a third last year - though this is partly because more are taking on unpaid internships^[각주:46]. 

A study in 2007 in Baltimore, Maryland, claimed that summer learning loss could account for up to two-thirds of the "achievement gap" between rich and poor children by the age of 14-15. More recent American research, however, argues that early-childhood development^[각주:47] might play a bigger role. 

Benjamin Piper, of RTI International, an American research institute^[각주:48], suspects that the scale of^[각주:49] summer learning loss may be worse in the developing world, where it has largely gone unnoticed^[각주:50] and unstudied^[각주:51]. In rural areas in particular, reading material can be hard to come by^[각주:52] and some children still spend their holidays helping their families in the fields. A study Mr Piper co-authored in^[각주:53] 2017, on Malawian children taking part in an American-funded literacy programme^[각주:54], may be the only one on summer learning loss in sub-Saharan Africa^[각주:55]. It found that the loss was almost as big as the gains the literacy programme generated during the school year. Mr Piper says that international donors, who spent $1.4bn on basic education aid in Africa in 2015, risk "losing what they invested". 

Experts suggest three types of solutions to the problems posed by^[각주:56] the long summer holidays: extending school years^[각주:57]; spreading holidays to other times of the year; and more state-provided summer-holiday activities. South Korea is an extreme test-case for the first approach^[각주:58]. It has the world's longest school year and shortest summer break. For many students, even the short holidays offer little respite^[각주:59], since most are enrolled in private tuition, often in a hagwon (crammer^[각주:60]). Three in ten parents surveyed last month said they planned to increase the number of hagwon classes their children will have to attend this summer. 

Sure enough, South Korean students score brilliantly on comparative measures such as^[각주:61] the OECD's PISA test of maths^[각주:62], science and reading skills. But there is a cost^[각주:63]. They also have a miserable time cramming for high-stakes^[각주:64] exams^[각주:65], and higher incidence of mental-health problems than^[각주:66] children in other rich countries. 

Another objection to^[각주:67] lengthening the school year is that^[각주:68] it would strain public-education budgets^[각주:69]. Teachers, who cherish their long breaks^[각주:70], would doubtless^[각주:71] object^[각주:72] unless they were paid more. 

A second approach is to shorten the summer break^[각주:73] but spread the holidays more evenly^[각주:74] through the year. Janet Hayward, the head teacher at^[각주:75] Cadoxton, wants the six-week British summer holiday reduced to four weeks, with half-term breaks lengthened^[각주:76]. Professor Cooper says America's three-month break may be outdated, and that a shorter one would be "more compatible with modern American life^[각주:77]."

But Mr Boulay doubts that campaigns to change the school calendar^[각주:78] will have much effect^[각주:79]. He says there is little public support^[각주:80] anywhere for abolishing the summer break entirely^[각주:81]. The holiday is deeply ingrained in tradition across the world^[각주:82], and (albeit limited^[각주:83]) evidence on year-round^[각주:84] schooling^[각주:85] remains inconclusive about^[각주:86] its effects on academic performance. Instead, Mr Boulay suggests that taxpayers or philanthropists^[각주:87] should subsidize summer activities. He thinks children should be encouraged to develop skills not emphasized in the school curriculum^[각주:88]. He also wants to see summer courses used as a laboratory for innovative education techniques. "We need more learning but not necessarily more schooling."

Summer learning need not be expensive. David Quinn of the University of Southern California says that even simple interventions like^[각주:89] posting reading materials to homes, or sending parents text messages reminding them to make sure their children are reading, can reduce summer learning loss. Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free-Range Kids movement (which campaigns for children to have more time unsupervised), says that letting children play on their own in parks teaches them important skills. She laments that^[각주:90] parents wildly overestimate the risks^[각주:91] their children face outdoors^[각주:92] (such as being kidnapped by strangers, which is vanishingly unlikely^[각주:93]) and so prevent them from exploring^[각주:94]. 

Some governments are keen to help^[각주:95] families that struggle with the summer. Britain's Department for Education recently announced ￡2m of funding for programmes providing children with summer activities and meals. Hungary, too, expanded its food aid to^[각주:96] children over the holidays, and American campaigners thwarted a government attempt to^[각주:97] cut all federal funding for^[각주:98] summer activities from this year's budget. But elsewhere, even data on the effects of the summer holiday are scanty^[각주:99]. Chloë Hughes, a youth-worker in^[각주:100] Barry, contrasts fond memories of^[각주:101] her own childhood summers with^[각주:102] the predicament^[각주:103] many families face at holiday-time today^[각주:104]. "I think a lot of people dread it^[각주:105]," she says. 

1. industrial town ; 공업중심도시, 공업도시 [본문으로]
2. hard-up ; [형용사] (속어) 결핍한; (돈에) 쪼들리는[for]; (남성이) 욕정에 사로잡힌. [본문으로]
3. youngster ; [명사] (비격식) 청소년, 아이 [본문으로]
4. beleaguer ; 1. 포위(공격)하다; 둘러 싸다 ;; 2. 달라붙다; 괴롭히다 ;; 미국∙영국 [bilí:ɡər] ;; [VERB] [tr] to trouble persistently; harass [본문으로]
5. conjure (sth) up ; ~을 상기시키다, 생각해내다 ;; [VERB] to present to the mind; evoke or imagine [본문으로]
6. carefree ; [형용사] 근심 걱정 없는, 속 편한 [본문으로]
7. youthful ; [ADJ] Someone who is youthful behaves as if they are young or younger than they really are. [본문으로]
8. term-time ; [U] (英) 학기 중 ;; (학교의) 재학 기간; (법정의) 개정 기간. [본문으로]
9. offspring ; (pl. offspring(s) [-(z) ]) 1. [집합적; 단·복수 양용] 자식, 자손; (동물의) 새끼. ;; 2. 파생물; 결과, 성과; 소산. [본문으로]
10. supervision ; [NOUN] Supervision is the supervising of people, activities, or places. [본문으로]
11. stretch ; 9. [타동사][VN] (돈시간보급품 등을 많이 써서) 부담을 주다 [본문으로]
12. set back ; [동사] 저지[방해]하다, 지연시키다; 역행하다; (비용이) 들다. ;; hinder; impede [본문으로]
13. disproportionately ; [부사] 불균형하게, 어울리지 않게, 알맞지 않게, 불균형적으로, 비정상적으로 [본문으로]
14. range from ~ to ~; 범위가 ~에서 ~에 이르다 [본문으로]
15. hazy ; 2. (기억 등이) 흐릿한[모호한], 유의어 vague ;; 3. (사람이) 확신이 없는, 혼란스러워 하는 [본문으로]
16. popularly ; 1. 일반적으로, 유의어 commonly [본문으로]
17. hangover ; 2. [주로 단수로] ~ (from sth) (더 이상 쓸모없는 과거의) 유물 ; 참조 holdover [본문으로]
18. agrarian ; [주로 명사 앞에 씀] (전문 용어) 농업의, 농지의, 토지의; 농민의 ;; [ADJ] Agrarian means relating to the ownership and use of land, especially farmland, or relating to the part of a society or economy that is concerned with agriculture. ;; 미국식 [əˈɡrer-] 영국식 [əˈɡreəriən] [본문으로]
19. thin ; 10. 얄팍한, (근거 등이) 박약한, 하찮은 [본문으로]
20. talk of ; 1. …에 관해 이야기하다; …의 소문을 이야기하다 [본문으로]
21. the year before ; (그) 전 해 [본문으로]
22. unnamed ; 이름이 없는, 무명의; 이름이 밝혀지지 않은, 불특정의. [본문으로]
23. on (an, the) average ;; 평균하여; 대체로 [본문으로]
24. scarce ; [형용사] (scarcer, scarcest) 부족한, 드문 [본문으로]
25. regress ; [자동사][V] ~ (to sth) (격식, 보통 못마땅함) 퇴행[퇴보/회귀]하다 [본문으로]
26. vary ; [자동사] 1. 여러 가지이다; 다르다, 차이 있다 ((from)) ;; 2. 바뀌다, 변화하다, 달라지다 ;; 미국식 [ˈveri; ˈværi] 영국식 [ˈveəri] [본문으로]
27. socioeconomic ; 사회 경제적인 ;; [ADJ] Socio-economic circumstances or developments involve a combination of social and economic factors. [본문으로]
28. fall behind ; to fail to stay with other people or things, especially in a race or competition [본문으로]
29. well-off ; 《서술용법》 순탄한 환경에 있는, 복받은, 유복한; (the well-off) 《명사적·집합적》 유복한 사람들. ;; 유의어 RICH [본문으로]
30. stimulate ; 1. [타동사][VN] 자극[격려]하다, 활발하게 하다 ;; 2. 흥미[관심]를 불러일으키다, 흥분시키다, 고무하다 [본문으로]
31. private tuition (in) ; (…의) 개인 교수. [본문으로]
32. enrichment ; 1. [U] 부유하게 하기, 가치[질]를 높이기; 강화. ;; 2. [U] 부유, 질의 향상. ;; 3. 부유하게 하는 것, 질을 높이는 것; 강화물 [본문으로]
33. outstrip ; [타동사] 4. 웃돌다, 초과하다. [본문으로]
34. queue ; (queuing 또는 queueing) 1. [자동사][V] ~ (up) (for sth) (英) 줄을 서서 기다리다 [본문으로]
35. enroll for ; …에 등록하다. [본문으로]
36. (a) financial strain ; 재정적 부담 [본문으로]
37. a grocery bill ; 식료품점의 계산서 [본문으로]
38. households ; (사회복지학) 가계 ;; 경제활동의 결과 얻어진 대가를 수입원으로 하여 상품과 서비스의 최종적 소비활동을 영위하는 경제주체를 말한다. 가계는 경제분석에서 기업과 정부와 함께 경제활동을 영위하는 주체 중에서 중요한 부문을 구성한다. 구체적으로는 세대를 단위로 하며 세대는 생계를 같이하는 일단의 동거인을 총칭하는 개념이다. 국민계정(SNA)에서는 가계란 동일한 주거시설을 사용하고 소득과 부의 일부 또는 전부를 공유하며 특정 유형의 재화 및 서비스(주로 주거와 음식)를 집합적으로 소비하는 소규모 개인집단으로 정의된다. [본문으로]
39. child-care cost ; 보육비용, 양육비 [본문으로]
40. 수동형, be worried that 이 아닌 능동형, worries that 으로 활용한 것을 확인 [본문으로]
41. indoors ; [ADV] If something happens indoors, it happens inside a building. [본문으로]
42. be glued to ; (비격식) ~에 열중하다[단단히 들러붙다] ;; give all your attention to something; stay very close to something [본문으로]
43. loath (드물게 loth) ;; [형용사] ~ to do sth (격식) ~하기를 꺼리는 [본문으로]
44. unsupervised ; [ADJ] without supervision [본문으로]
45. take part in ; …에 참여[참가]하다, 가담하다; 협력하다 [본문으로]
46. unpaid ; 2. 무보수의, 무급의 [본문으로]
47. early childhood ; (교육학) 유아기(幼兒期) ;; 보충설명 ; 생후(生後) 1년 내지 1년 반부터 만 6세에 이르기까지의 시기. [본문으로]
48. research institute ; (과학)연구소. [본문으로]
49. scale ; [명사] ~ (of sth) (특히 다른 것과 비교해서 본) 규모[범위] ;; 참조 ; full-scale, large-scale, small-scale [본문으로]
50. go unnoticed ; 눈에 띄지 않고 넘어가다 [본문으로]
51. unstudied ; 1. 자연히 터득한, 자연히 갖추어진 ;; 2. 일부러가 아닌, 꾸밈없는, 자연스러운; 전문 지식이 없는(natural) ;; [ADJ] natural; unaffected [본문으로]
52. come by ; 1. (힘쓴 끝에) ~을 얻다[구하다] [본문으로]
53. coauthor ; 공동 집필하다 ;; [VERB] to be the joint author of (a book, article, etc) [본문으로]
54. literacy ; [U] 글을 읽고 쓸 줄 아는 능력 ;; 참조 ; computer literacy ;; [NOUN] Literacy is the ability to read and write. [본문으로]
55. sub-Saharan Africa ; 사하라 사막 이남의 아프리카 [본문으로]
56. pose a problem ; 문제를 일으키다. [본문으로]
57. extend ; 4. 〔거리·기간·기한 따위〕를 늘리다, 연장하다[to]. ;; 유의어, LENGTHEN [본문으로]
58. test case ; 2. 시험적 사례, 테스트 케이스, 선례가 되는 사례 [본문으로]
59. respite ; [sing., U] 1. ~ (from sth) (곤경·불쾌한 일의) 일시적인 중단, 한숨 돌리기 ;; 미국식 [ˈrespɪt] 영국식 [ˈrespaɪt] [본문으로]
60. crammer ; (英) 단기 시험 준비 학교[학습서] [본문으로]
61. comparative ; 1. (무엇에 대한 연구가) 비교를 통한, 비교의 [본문으로]
62. maths ; [U] (영·구어) pl. = MATHEMATICS [본문으로]
63. cost ; [명사] 1. [C, U] 값, 비용 ;; 3. [U, sing.] (무엇을 하는 데 드는) 노력[희생/손실] [본문으로]
64. high-stakes ; [형용사] (구어) 흥하든 망하든, 이판사판의 ;; (도박 따위에 거는) 큰 돈; 중대한 이해 관계, 큰 이권 [본문으로]
65. cram for ; …을 대비해서 벼락치기 공부를 하다. [본문으로]
66. incidence ; 1. [C, 주로 단수로] ~ of sth (격식) (사건 등의) 발생 정도[영향 범위] [본문으로]
67. objection ; [명사] ~ (to sth/to doing sth) | ~ (that…) 이의, 반대 (이유) [본문으로]
68. lengthen ; [타동사] 길게 하다, 늘이다, 연장하다(make longer, prolong) ; (모음을) 길게 끌다. [본문으로]
69. public education ; 공교육, 학교 교육; [영] public school식 교육 [본문으로]
70. cherish ; [VN] (격식) 1. [타동사] 소중히 여기다, 아끼다 ;; [VERB] If you cherish something such as a hope or a pleasant memory, you keep it in your mind for a long period of time. [본문으로]
71. doubtless ; [부사] 거의 틀림없이 ;; 유의어 without doubt [본문으로]
72. object ; 1. [자동사][V] ~ (to sb/sth) | ~ (to doing sth/to sb doing sth) 반대하다 [본문으로]
73. shorten ; [자, 타동사] ~ (sth to sth) 짧게 하다, 단축하다; 짧아지다 [본문으로]
74. evenly ; 1. 고르게, 반반하게 ;; 2. 균등하게, 고르게; 대등하게 ;; 3. 차분히 [본문으로]
75. head teacher ; (영) (공립 학교의) 교장 ;; (美 prin·ci·pal) [본문으로]
76. half-term ; [명사] (영국의 학교들에서 학기 중의) 중간 방학 ((보통 2, 3일에서 1주일)) ;; [NOUN] Half-term is a short holiday in the middle of a school term. [본문으로]
77. compatible ; [형용사] (~ (with sb/sth)) 2. (생각·방법 등이) 양립될 수 있는 [본문으로]
78. a school calendar ; 학교의 연간 행사 예정표 [본문으로]
79. have effect (on) ; 효력이 있다 [본문으로]
80. have public[mass] support ;; 대중의 지지를 얻다 [본문으로]
81. abolish ; [타동사][VN] (법률·제도·조직을) 폐지하다 ;; [VERB] If someone in authority abolishes a system or practice, they formally put an end to it. [본문으로]
82. ingrain ; [타동사] <습관·생각 등을> 스며[배어]들게 하다 ;; [VERB] [tr (ɪn'ɡreɪn)] to impress deeply on the mind or nature; instil [본문으로]
83. albeit ; [접속사] (격식) 비록 …일지라도 ;; [ADV] You use "albeit" to introduce a fact or comment which reduces the force or significance of what you have just said. [본문으로]
84. year-round ; [형용사] 연중 계속되는 ;; [ADJ] Year-round is used to describe something that happens, exists, or is done throughout the year. [본문으로]
85. schooling ; [U] 1. 학교 교육. ;; 2. (학교의) 수업, 교육; (통신 교육의) 교실 수업; (경험자·전문가로부터 배우는) 훈련, 수양 ;; 3. 가르치는 일, 교수. ;; [NOUN] Schooling is education that children receive at school. [본문으로]
86. inconclusive ; [형용사] (확고한 결정·결과에 이를 정도로) 결정적이 아닌, 결론에 이르지 못하는 [본문으로]
87. philanthropist ; [명사] 독지가, 자선가 ;; 미국∙영국 [fɪˈlænθrəpɪst] 미국식 [fɪˈlænθrəpɪst] ;; [NOUN] A philanthropist is someone who freely gives money and help to people who need it. [본문으로]
88. curriculum ; [명사] pl. cur·ric·ula[-lə] 또는 cur·ricu·lums 교육과정 ;; 참조 syllabus ;; 미국∙영국 [kəˈrɪkjələm] 미국식 [kəˈrɪkjələm] [본문으로]
89. interventions ; 1. 사이에 듦, 개재; 조정, 중재 ;; (경영) 해결책 ; 인적자원개발이나 조직개발에서의 목적 성취를 위해 경영자와 실무자들이 사용하는 해결책이나 해결방안인 변화 전략들을 총칭하는 용어이다. 인적자원개발에서의 개입으로는 교육과 함께, ① 현재 조직의 방침이나 실제를 변경하기 위한 계획의 개발과 전달, ② 새로운 움직임이나 시뮬레이션 혹은 사례 연구 소개 등이 있다. [본문으로]
90. lament ; [타동사] 1. 슬퍼하다, 비탄하다, 애도하다 ;; 2. (깊이) 후회하다, 애석히 여기다, 안타까워하다 [본문으로]
91. overestimate ; [타동사][VN] 과대평가하다 ;; [VERB] If you say that someone overestimates something, you mean that they think it is greater in amount or importance than it really is. [본문으로]
92. outdoors ; [부사] 집 밖에서, 옥외에서, 야외에서(in the open air) ; 옥외[야외]로(opp. indoors). [본문으로]
93. vanishingly ; [부사] so as to be almost nonexistent or invisible [본문으로]
94. explore ; [자동사] 탐험을 하다; 조사하다 [본문으로]
95. be keen to ; ~을 하기를 간절히 바라는 [본문으로]
96. expand ; 3. <범위 등을> 확장하다, 확대하다(enlarge) ((into)); <토론 등을> 전개시키다(develop) ((into)); [수학] 전개하다 [본문으로]
97. thwart ; [타동사] [타동사][VN] [흔히 수동태로] ~ sth | ~ sb (in sth) (계획 등을) 좌절시키다 ;; 유의어 frustrate [본문으로]
98. federal funding ; 연방 자금 지원 [본문으로]
99. scanty ; (scant·ier, scanti·est) [형용사] 1. 얼마 안 되는, 빈약한 [본문으로]
100. youth worker ; [명사] 청소년 문제 카운슬러, 청소년 선도원 ;; [NOUN] A youth worker is a person whose job involves providing support and social activities for young people, especially young people from poor backgrounds. [본문으로]
101. fond ; (fond·er, fond·est) 1. ~ of sb (특히 오랫동안 알아 온 사람에게) 애정을 느끼는[좋아하는] ;; 2. ~ of (doing) sth (특히 오랫동안) 좋아하는[즐기는] [본문으로]
102. contrast ; 1. [타동사][VN] ~ (A and/with B) 대조하다, 대비시키다 [본문으로]
103. predicament ; [명사] 곤경, 궁지 ;; 유의어 quandary [본문으로]
104. at holiday time[s] ; 휴가 때에. [본문으로]
105. dread ; [타동사] 무서워하다, 두려워하다, 염려[걱정]하다; 꺼리다 ;; [VERB] If you dread something which may happen, you feel very anxious and unhappy about it because you think it will be unpleasant or upsetting [본문으로]