Who can forget George Gershwin’s memorable lyric “Summertime and the living is easy”? Summers meant picnics in the park, vacations, camping, lounging at the pool, jumping in the lake and reading favorite books.

That was then. This is now.

About 15% of public school children in the U.S. participate in summer academic programs, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Many students go to athletic camps, designed to turn kids into elite athletes. And virtually every elite university offers summer programs for high school and middle school students.

This is what began the dismantling of summer as we knew it. By sending kids to space, robotics and other camps, we hope we are setting them up for successful lives.

But are we?

What is the cost of having too much structur

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