Summer school is simply a way to provide students with more instructional time. The summer school program should be rigorous, high-interest and staffed with excellent teachers. But instead of classroom settings, I suggest a summer school program in which field trips are the centerpiece from which projects and instruction would stem.

Children learn from their experiences. Many students in summer school come from low-income families who have limited culturally rich experiences. Field trips would provide students with that exposure that's missing in their lives.

Such a program would also reduce cost by decreasing the number of teachers and increasing the number of paraprofessionals, or classroom assistants. Teachers would be responsible for planning and teaching but paraprofessionals would be responsible for monitoring and assisting. As a way of reducing transportation costs, special programs could be brought to school, and instruction and projects could stem from these special programs.

Field trips and projects are a minor part of the regular school year curriculum. But as the centerpiece of summer school, they can lead to greater interest on the part of students. In summer school, students would visit places that are not accessible during the regular school year, like zoos and baseball parks. I also suggest taking advantage of free events that are available in the summer like concerts and art fairs.

A field trip/project-based summer school is a form of progressive education. And in this country, progressive education is mostly offered only to the affluent. Schools for low-income families tend to be standards-driven. A summer of field trips and projects would expose students to a progressive education that promotes greater interest in life-long learning.