A decision this week to give Vancouver students 10 extra vacation days next year as a cost-saving measure is expected to trigger a much bigger discussion about whether it's time for a calendar shakeup that would put an end to the standard two-month summer vacation.
"We need to start looking at the possibility of a balanced calendar," Patti Bacchus, chairwoman of the Vancouver board of education, said Tuesday, adding that trustees recently discussed the issue at a committee meeting and there was strong interest in re-arranging school holidays.
While not necessarily a cost saving, some education experts say a balanced school calendar provides educational benefits.
Researchers such as Carolyn Shields, an education professor at the University of B.C., say a balanced school calendar results in fewer student absences, less staff illness and better opportunities for disadvantaged children, who often fall behind their more privileged peers during long vacation periods.
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