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iD Tech
K-12 Dive
3 summer program strategies to address learning loss, support emotional health
Despite logistical and funding hurdles, districts are using summer
programs to try different instructional approaches and build community
partnerships.
Kara Arundel
Feb. 2, 2021
Interest in offering summer instruction and enrichment programming for
greater numbers of students is building amid pressure for school
systems to address students' learning loss and social-emotional health,
said National Summer Learning Association CEO Aaron Dworkin.
And although there are logistical and funding hurdles to running summer
programs during a pandemic, districts are getting creative by testing
out unique strategies, forming new partnerships and applying lessons
learned during the school year to make virtual and hybrid learning
equitable and fun, Dworkin said.
"There are so many examples of what works that no one has to feel like they have to reinvent the wheel," he said.
For example, Alexandria City Public Schools in Virginia expanded summer
programming to all pre-K through 12th grade students last year — from
an invitation-only summer program from previous years — and plans to do
so again this year. School districts in Pennsylvania are partnering
with Teachers in the Parks to offer hybrid learning and enrichment
lessons this summer.
State leaders also are recognizing the urgent need for expanded
learning opportunities outside the traditional school year. In
California, Gov. Gavin Newsom included $4.6 billion for summer learning
in his proposed budget, and the Tennessee General Assembly passed a
bill requiring schools to offer after-school learning mini-camps,
learning loss bridge camps and summer learning camps.
Additionally, several states are dedicating part of their Elementary
and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds — provided under the
Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act — to summer
learning programs, according to a tracker from the National Conference
of State Legislatures.
COVID-19’s toll on students has been harsh, and school systems are
seeking solutions for learning loss. Since the beginning of the school
year, districts are reporting lower attendance rates, increases in
failing grades and concerns about students’ mental well-being.
An initial analysis of NWEA MAP Growth assessments in the fall showed
students averaged between 5 and 10 percentile points lower in math
performance compared to peers in the same grades in 2019. Additionally,
students from families with low-incomes and those who are Black or
Hispanic may have higher rates of learning losses, according to
research from McKinsey & Company.
"Everybody is recognizing we have to leverage the summer months for
lots of reasons, but especially in COVID," Dworkin said. "There's been
a lot of missed learning opportunities and then the question is, 'How
do you do it?'"
Here are a few key pieces of advice from educators and Dworkin for planning summer school programs:
Combine engaging academic content with SEL and PE
Summer learning programs shouldn’t be “drill and kill,” and courses
shouldn’t just reiterate what students should have learned the previous
school year, said Dworkin. While core subject review will be necessary
for some students, the curriculum should include hands-on activities
and real world application scenarios appropriate for different age
groups, he said.
“The best practices are our programs that are trying to make summer
feel a little different than regular school, and more special and kind
of, you know, something that's not punitive,” Dworkin said.
Alexandria City Public Schools provided all pre-K through 5th grade
students kits with supplies for the summer courses, said Gerald Mann,
ACPS’ executive director of instructional support. There was also a
wide variety of course options, including dual language courses and
classes to prepare middle-schoolers for algebra.
Although the summer courses were virtual last year and combined
synchronous and asynchronous programming, efforts were made to use
project-based instructional strategies and provide opportunities for
virtual field trips, Mann said. This was no easy feat, because the
district decided in early April to open free summer programming for its
16,000 students on an opt-out basis, Mann said. Staff worked day and
night to build the program, he said.
Additionally, the district also hired guidance counselors to provide
SEL lessons and host office hours for students. “We had to actually ask
for more seats in the person's webinar or their Zoom call, because that
many students at the high school level wanted to come in to talk to the
counselor,” Mann said.
Get parent buy-in and work with partners
One advantage to taking a year to plan for summer programming is that
districts can build a marketing and communication plan. When ACPS
offered summer learning for all students last year, the district had a
very narrow window to not only create the curriculum but to explain the
opt-out policy and registration process to parents, Mann said. The
lessons learned from last summer have helped the district adjust
practices as it ramps up for similar programming this year.
“Given that we went through it last year, I’m more comfortable,” Mann
said. Still, he’s not yet sure if students will be able to be on
campuses at all this summer.
Mann said working with partners inside and outside the district has
been a critical part of developing the summer programming.
Specifically, within the district he works with the human resources
office to recruit teachers to lead summer classes, with facilities
teams to plan for on-campus instruction and with the communications
department to spread the message about the summer opportunities.
Teachers in the Parks, which was founded in 2004 by Matthew Hathaway, a
4th grade teacher in the Exeter Township School District in Reading,
Pennsylvania, partners with multiple recreation departments, school
districts, libraries and other summer camps to bring teachers to where
students are so that teachers can provide small group instruction in
person and virtually. For example, last summer, teachers met students
at grab-and-go meal distribution sites.
“The worst thing we could do is try to compete,” Hathaway said. “The more you can coordinate with your community, the better.”
Dworkin said the pandemic has created more collaboration between school
systems and out-of-school organizations. “It’s one of the silver
linings at this time,” he said.
Build a long-term strategy
Although just planning one year at a time can seem overwhelming,
considering long-term investments and strategies can make summer
programming stronger, Dworkin said.
For one, it’s best if funding resources can be planned out in advance.
Teachers in the Parks is supported through Title I funding, private
fundraising and minimal fees based on family income, Hathaway said.
Expenses stay low because the program doesn’t have costs for facilities
or transportation since teachers travel to meet small groups of
students or provide lessons online.
Mann, from ACPS, said last summer’s programming expenses of $500,000,
which were directed mostly to salaries and supplies, was already
dedicated in the district budget. The late push to expand the
programming for all students, however, was helped financially by
shifting unused funds from other budget areas. Stimulus funding for
learning loss and grants also supported summer programming. Knowing
that summer courses for pre-K through 12th grade will likely continue
into the future, Mann was better able to plan for this year, he said.
“I think all of us know that once you did summer school for all, there's no going back,” Mann said.
Read this and other stories at K-12 Dive
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