Stories
Ensuring access to summer learning for all students
The research is clear that summer and after-school programs provide numerous benefits to students. According to a study by John Hopkins University, during the summer months children living in low-resource communities who are not engaged in activities tend to fall into a “summer slide,” while their peers from more economically advantaged communities build skills that will help them succeed. Students without positive summer activities lose nearly two months of competency in reading, and these losses are cumulative. By ninth grade, summer learning loss accounts for nearly two-thirds of the achievement gap in reading. Also well-documented are the negative impacts on health: youth without summer learning programs gain weight at a higher rate than during the school year. This is particularly true for children and youth of color and those who are already overweight.
Summer Programs for Kids are at Risk
Napa Valley is recognized the world over for its award-winning wines, but little is known about its low-income, mostly agricultural, communities where the need is great; especially for year-round student academic support and enrichment opportunities. To address this need, Aim High – a nonprofit offering free summer learning programs to middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than thirty years – opened a campus at Silverado Middle School in rural Napa, a community where only 15 percent of third grade English Language Learners read at or above grade level. The Napa program currently serves 120 students, but has a waiting list of at least 60 children.
Close to Home: Rethinking Summer and Summer School
I propose that we retool the old summer school model into summer enrichment camps that focus on 21st century skills. These summer programs would employ teachers who have expertise in applying instructional strategies that foster critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication skills in our students. They would work in partnership with nonprofit and other youth-serving organizations, public libraries and others to provide full-day learning and enrichment camps.
Summer Matters Superheroes Featured in Edweek
Summer Matters presented its Summer Matters Superhero Award to Superintendents Deborah A. Flores of Gilroy Unified School District; Richard Martinez of Pomona Unified School District; and William McCoy of Sausalito Marin City School District during the California School Board Association’s annual education conference.
SM Superheroes Revealed!
Summer Matters is excited to celebrate our three Summer Superheroes. These superintendents from districts across the state are champions of summer learning. Today, we unveil their secret identities and talk a little about the amazing work they have done in their districts to bridge the opportunity gap, and give all students access to high quality summer learning.
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