For many years, schoolchildren in the US have been taken on 'field trips’ to cultural institutions and historical sites. Despite these trips involving some expense and disruption to class timetables, educators arrange them in the belief that schools exist not only to teach economically useful skills, but also to produce civilised young people who appreciate the arts and culture. However, there have been increasing signs in recent years that the attitude towards field trips is changing, with a significant decrease in the number of tours organised for school groups. A survey carried out by a group of school administrators found that over half the schools they asked had decided to cancel trips planned for the next academic year. So what are the reasons for this change? The most obvious one is the issue of finance. Because there are increasing demands on their funds, schools are forced to make a difficult choice about how to spend the limited money they have. Field trips are an obvious thing to cut since they are seen by many as a luxury. A large number of school heads also consider days spent away from school a waste of time, believing that the only worthwhile use of students' time is spent preparing for exams in the classroom. But why should anybody worry if schoolchildren go on fewer trips? Those that believe this is a negative development in education would say that cultural field trips contribute to the development of students into well-educated adults who have a healthy interest in history and the arts. Researchers warn that if schools cut field trips, then valuable opportunities to broaden and enrich children's learning experiences are lost.