Despite what you might hear:
One problem with the “eliminate summer vacation so we can compete with the rest of the world” philosophy is that it isn’t really a reflection of reality. Arne Duncan, a few years ago: “Our students today are competing against children in India and China. Those students are going to school 25 to 30 percent longer than we are. Our students, I think, are at a competitive disadvantage.” Not really.
While students in Europe and Asia many have different education schedules, they don’t really spend more time in school. That’s because of the distinction between the number of days spent in the classroom and the hours in a day devoted to actual instruction. When one combines these numbers it appears Americans are spending just as much time in school as students in most other countries. American students living in some of the most populous states—California, Florida, New York, Texas, and Massachusetts—spend about 900 hours a year in school. India requires 800 to 900 instructional hours per year, depending on the grade. China, too, provides about 900 hours of instruction per year.
The Dish 