Students in Shanghai, China, get much more recess time than their U.S. counterparts throughout their education. As U.S. education reform efforts seek ways of raising achievement, they have begun replacing recess with academic time. The lesson from Shanghai is that this may not be the best strategy. But whether the Shanghai system of more and longer periods of recess could be adopted in the U.S. is complicated because in Shanghai, school time often is for teaching only, and students are expected to review content and strengthen their skills after school.
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