Core Academic Summer School: Getting a Jump on the Next School Year
State budget cuts have threatened our District’s summer school. Ten years ago, there were State funds available for after-school and summer school programs for students who needed it; this funding is all but gone. The Lake Washington Schools Foundation, through its generous donors, has helped to make sure this program continues.
The District’s summer school program is designed to prepare students for the fall; this is not a remedial program or a repeat of the previous year.
In spite of strong research showing summer school is one of the most effective ways to ensure struggling students will be prepared for learning in the fall, most surrounding districts have discontinued summer school due to budget cuts.
With proven benefits of summer school and the District’s commitment to continuing this program, the Foundation stepped forward in 2010 and provided scholarships for 58 students; in 2011 the number nearly doubled to 105.
All elementary students are welcome to attend summer school, but teachers at the neediest schools were encouraged to identify specific students who would benefit the most; these students were sponsored by the Foundation.
Research shows that many students (see below), regardless of socioeconomic status, experience about one month of learning loss during the summer. This is most pronounced in math and spelling, subjects that require regular practice. The curriculum for summer school includes math, literacy, and reading and covers what the students will be learning in the first months of class in the fall.
Summer school principal Mike Anderson summed up the critical nature of this program, “If a student ends the year below grade level, what are the chances that they will be prepared to learn in the next grade level if they don’t attend summer school?”
Why does this make a difference for all students? The less “summer learning loss,” the less time the teacher and the whole class has to spend on review, and the faster the whole class can advance.
Summer school also helps to close the achievement gap and meets a value that the Foundation shares with its donors: equal access to educational opportunities.
Mr. Anderson says that summer school is “paying into the future so that as many kids can be successful as possible. Summer school gives kids an extra 20 days of learning and practice in reading, writing and math.” All students benefit from those attending summer school, and the Foundation acknowledges the hard work of the students, teachers, and staff who make the summer program so successful.
More Information
KL Alexander, DR Entwisle, & L Steffel Olson (2007). "Lasting Consequences of the Summer Learning Gap." American Sociological Review 72.2
