Schools and teachers work hard all year to ensure that every child gets a chance to achieve. Yet the evidence now shows us that if students do not have meaningful summer learning opportunities, they are likely to lose a significant amount of the content they have mastered. That’s why this issue of the Standard focuses on the critical importance of extending learning time throughout the summer months. And because state boards of education can play a key role in enabling high quality summer learning, we hope this issue of the Standard will start a conversation in your state about how you can foster strong summer learning programs for all students.
by Sarah Pitcock and Bob Seidel
State policymakers play important roles in developing the
vision for summer learning, funding it, and aligning it with
other important education objectives.
Summer Learning Programs Yield Key Lessons for Districts and Policymakers
by Catherine H. Augustine and Jennifer Sloan McCombs
Evaluations of summer learning in six urban districts show
how states and their districts can get a handle on planning, curriculum, teacher selection and training, and funding.
Finding Funds to Move Summer Learning Forward
by Bob Seidel
For those who know where to look and how to devise creative
strategies to combine funding streams, scaling up summer programs is possible.
Rhode Island’s Innovative Solutions to Summer Learning Loss
by Adam Greenman
Public-private partnership proves key in Rhode Island’s hands on,
experiential learning programs.
Communities Can Work Together to Strengthen Summer Learning for Youth
by Katie Willse
How Newark, New Jersey, pulled together to stem summer
learning loss.
Summer Matters: Advocating for Summer Learning That Can Weather Political Seasons
by Aaron McQuade
A California nonprofit makes communications and
advocacy a central part of its strategy to build better summer learning programs.
All Children Deserve Uninterrupted Learning!
by Fred Brown
A win-win for students and teachers, summer learning can narrow the achievement gap for kids and provide teachers an opportunity to test and refine techniques to pique children’s interest.
The NASBE Interview: Kathleen Straus
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