Leveraging Summer for Student Success

Why Summer Matters

• Over 100 years of research shows that children experience learning loss when not engaged in summer activities.

• Students’ learning gains, regardless of SES, are equal, during the school year.

• Summer learning loss is cumulative, so that as 1 study found, 2/3 of achievement gap in 9th grade, can be attributed to SLL.

• California parents cite summer as most difficult time to find safe, educational and productive things for their kids to do.

• Students gain more unhealthy weight in summer than during the school year.

Why Summer Matters

Summer Learning Loss and the Achievement Gap

Why Summer Matters

Think- Pair- Share

1. What did you find surprising or interesting?

2. What questions did this make you consider?

3. What does this information mean to you?

Summer and Student Achievement

SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN GRADE-LEVEL VOCABULARY

Summer and Student Engagement

• Parents reported that their kids improved their attitude towards reading and reading ability.

• Parents reported programs helped prepare their kids for the transition from elementary to middle school.

• In Fresno, summer program participants were one-third less likely to be chronically absent in fall 2012 than their peers.

• Social emotional learning results were strong as 9 out of 10 parents reported the summer programs helped their kids make a new friend and get along better with other students.

• Students enhanced their social skills, improved their relationships with educators and fellow students, and strengthened their ability to make new friends and connect with others.

Summer learning and the Common Core

Questions Choices Collaboration Connections across subject

matter Communication Teacher/Staff TrainingExample: Central Enrichment Summer Adventures (CESA)

Social-Emotional Learning

• Self-confidence• Persistence• Willingness to try new things• Sense of belonging to the school

community

Essential for student engagement, school climate, student achievement priorities of LCFF

Example: Sacramento Summer of Service (SOS)

Teacher/Staff Development

• Experimentation• Youth development• Classroom management• Mentoring/coaching

Professional development aligned with district goals

Example: Whittier City Jump Start

Summer learning and the LCAP

Common Core State Standards

Student achievement

Student engagement

School climate

Broad course of study

Summer Matters

What does summer learning do well?

1. Broadens children’s horizons.

2. Includes a wide variety of activities.

3. Helps children build skills.

4. Fosters cooperative learning.

5. Promotes healthy habits.

6. Lasts at least one month.

Steps to Implement a Summer Learning Program

• Identify the summer programs and infrastructure already in place in your district and community.

• Review data to identify needs and areas of focus.

• Create, or use existing, planning teams including district staff, teachers, community partners and possibly parents and older youth.

• Develop a clearly-defined, shared vision and goals for the program and for students.

• Use the vision and goals to set a concrete action plan - tasks, timelines, people responsible and meeting dates - to will drive the rest of your planning process.

How YOU Make Summer Matter

Include Summer Learning Programs in your LCAP!

For more information visit

SummerMatters2You.net

Thank You!