Resource Category: Site Admin & Coach

Over the decades, there’s been much commentary about the downsides of our school calendar, which was designed to accommodate a farming economy. While this calendar has clearly persisted far beyond its practical application, old habits die hard, especially when so much of American life has revolved around school breaks. Amusement parks, vacation destinations, and other industries have been built around the summer vacation, and many families as well as educators have become very attached to this ritual.

However, for just as many families, and particularly those struggling financially who don’t have the luxury of long vacations or time off from work, summer paints a very different picture. Rather than attending camp and going on vacation, the children of these families are left with little to do and often suffer from what we’ve coined “summer slide”. Research has shown that summer slide is cumulative, so children who miss out on structured learning opportunities summer after summer are at far greater risk of falling behind, of not graduating, and missing key experiences and relationships that lead to college and career paths.

With all we know from both research and experience, why do we consider learning as something that happens just between September and June or between 8am and 3pm? Children are learning all the time—in school and out of school. Our expanded learning and youth development sectors have worked very hard to fill those learning, enrichment, and relationship gaps that children living in poverty experience after school, during winter and spring breaks, and over the long summer. But these out of school programs and opportunities aren’t available to every child in every community, creating one of the biggest and most consequential inequities in our education system.

With unprecedented state and federal investments for expanded learning coming to schools and communities, and multiple years in which to spend, let’s stop looking at the school day and afterschool, school year and summer, as such distinct and disconnected blocks of time. Let’s use this summer as a launching pad for a different approach. For example, utilize new summer program approaches and partnerships to inform school year activities; include afterschool partners in early planning for next summer; and provide opportunities for blended professional development for teachers, school staff, and expanded learning partners so all are grounded with the information and skills they need to support children, all day and all year.

There are many examples to look to, tools to access, and proven practices that should be leveraged as school districts tackle the important work of growing expanded learning opportunities for students. Be sure visit our Summer Technical Assistance Hub to be connected to expert support with planning, program design and operation, partnerships, assessment and more. Want to share this with your network? Click here for a flyer!

AUTHOR

Jennifer Peck,
President and CEO,
Partnership for Children and Youth (PCY)

RESOURCES

Partnership for Children & Youth (PCY) Website

Summer Technical Assistance (TA) Hub

Summer TA Hub Flyer

Summer Game Plan Webinars

2021 California Summer Learning Guide

Summer Learning Toolkit

PCY Summer Resources

A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University researchers estimates that as much as two-thirds of the achievement gap in the elementary grades can be directly traced to learning loss in the summer, or what we call the “summer slide.” With the significant loss of in-person learning over the past 14 months, learning gaps have widened even further as evidenced by the findings shared by PACE and NWEA. Summer 2021 is an opportunity for school districts to expand access to summer learning, when the need has never been greater or more important!

As districts plan for the learning that will take place over the summer, they may be faced with pressures and demands to “think outside of the box” or to reimagine schools in the form of new models for learning. In some ways, this creates unrealistic expectations and can distract from what we know has been effective in promoting student success. Quick fixes, such as programs designed to educate children in a simpler way or off-the-shelf curriculum that pledge large gains for students, are unrealistic. Rather, a balanced approach that includes a blend of academics, social interaction, and enrichment is key to engaging students, increasing their sense of belonging, and unlocking their curiosity and passion for learning.

Summer learning provides a renewed opportunity to invite various stakeholders to the table, including teachers, parents, and community partners, to collaborate as key designers of student learning. Student data should serve as a key factor to identify targeted supports to address inequities. To ensure that the learning over the summer is not a one-off, districts will need to align summer learning to what students will be assessed in in the fall when they are back within the confines of a classroom. Consider leveraging the resources and expertise of key partners like the YMCA, county-wide recreation programs, churches, advocacy groups, social services, and other community-based organizations to expand access to both academic and mental health supports available to students. 

Traditional summer school, often enrichment-based, will fall short if academic interventions are not embedded in summer learning opportunities to accelerate learning. Focused on collective efficacy and true collaboration, district teams must design extended learning opportunities that implement high-quality curriculum with fidelity and are aligned to metrics for formative assessments. Highly trained staff with experience and knowledge of the grade-level content must be at the forefront of these summer learning opportunities to accelerate learning and prevent further “summer slide,” as students prepare to return to in-person instruction in the fall. High-dosage tutoring, mental health resources, nutrition programs, high-quality early education, project-based learning, STEM, and research-based credit recovery programs will be key to the success of students this summer. To ensure that these summer learning programs serve students who can most benefit, student outreach will need to be personalized to target and recruit specific groups of students.

Districts will need to take on this new and real challenge, embracing the summer as an opportunity to reengage students, assess their needs, and begin closing the learning gaps that will likely be evident in the new school year. Recognizing that there are no quick fixes, this begins with what we’ve always known works for students – learning and relationships are entwined; advancing student learning begins with grade-level content and support; high expectations and relevant course content increase student engagement; and needs of adults must be addressed to provide safe and supportive learning environments for students. 

To support districts in this ever-challenging opportunity, this month’s newsletter will feature tools, strategies, and resources to design summer learning programs that provide the necessary settings to accelerate learning, while advancing equity for our most vulnerable student groups. 

AUTHOR

Tom Armelino,
Executive Director, CCEE

RESOURCES

Summer Programming 2021: Game Planning Now for Summer Learning, Fun, and Equity (Leading Forward Speaker Series)

Summer Technical Assistance Hub

2021 California Summer Learning Guide

Summer Learning Toolkit

Summer Learning Recruitment Guide

Getting to Work on Summer Learning: Recommended Practices for Success