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“The iPod came from two people, Steve and Jonathan. The Zune came from 250. Which product would you rather own?” – Seth Godin
I participated in NBC’s Education Nation this week, and was again reminded and impressed by the passion and creativity of educators, and the desire to do right by our kids. The need for more learning time was a consistent theme, and there are dozens of excellent examples of innovative, comprehensive summer programs that already deliver more learning time while offering kids options and fun outside the traditional school setting. Yet there is a dearth of large-scale implementation.
Am I alone in my impression that the public sector is behind the curve on innovation and speed to market? The public agency culture often ties our hands on innovation because of a pre-disposition for universal consensus, buy-in, and validation. There’s a tension inherent in the structure that we need to get past. Does the apparent need to be democratic and politically appropriate preclude the innovation and the autocracy it often requires? Are we missing the opportunity to innovate while we wait for consensus?
How can we recognize the compromise necessary in serving the public good, but still rapidly deliver desperately needed innovation in education?
September 30th, 2010
I attended a terrific meeting at the White House yesterday about the role of community-based organizations in school turnaround efforts. There are literally billions of dollars available right now to the 5,000 lowest-performing schools in this country to support transforming, turning around, restarting, or closing those schools. There’s a huge potential role for summers and for nonprofits to play in this work. One strategy that’s explicitly embraced by the U.S. Dept of Education is for schools to launch summer transition programs for kids moving from 8th to 9th grade. Quality summer learning programs can help improve outcomes on student attendance, behavior, and course completion – the so-called ABCs that are critical for high school graduation. Summer is truly a time to solidify and build on school-year gains. Real school reform and transformation is a difficult enterprise – one that should involve a range of people including community and faith based organizations. We should also get serious about using all 12 months of the year to support this work. If we work hard for 180 days during the regular school year, why should we leave the other days to chance? Who’s involved in this work during the summer and what are you learning from your efforts?
September 21st, 2010
Today is National Summer Learning Day and we could not be any more proud of the movement we see around the country to recognize the importance of quality summer learning programs in the lives of young people. Since 2004, we’ve seen this event grow from a nice idea to powerful demonstration of the strength of programs and the need for them to expand across the country. We kicked things off last week with a Capitol Hill event designed to engage members of Congress is supporting legislation that would increase funding for summer learning. As I write this post, more than 500 events are registered in small towns like Corbin, Kentucky and big cities like San Diego, California. One of my personal favorites is happening early next month when the Pittsburgh Pirates join the celebration by welcoming the 2,000+ participants in the city’s Summer Dreamers Academy to the ballpark for major league baseball game. The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and Congressman George Miller are celebrating Summer Learning Day at City Hall in San Francisco with thousands of kids who are participating in summer learning programs across the city. Have a great day and be sure to let us know how you celebrate.
Note: You can submit pictures, video, reports, and press clips of your event to Susanne Sparks at susanne@summerlearning.org. And be sure to register your Summer Learning Day event.
June 21st, 2010
The American Association of School Administrators recently released a survey involving over 400 school administrators that found more than one-third (34 percent) of respondents are considering eliminating summer school for the 2010-11 school year, a rate that has roughly doubled each year, from 8 percent in 2008-09 to 14 percent in 2009-10.
What’s happening in your local school district? We agree with the U.S. Secretary of Education who recently described this trend as the “wrong way to go”. But what if you were in the role of a serving on school board where you had to make difficult budget choices? How successful have you been in making the case for summer in an environment where resources are scarce? What are the most compelling arguments you can make?
May 25th, 2010
A report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation today makes a compelling case for summer learning as one strategy for addressing the nation’s student achievement crisis and getting more kids on the path to reading well by 4th grade.
The special report, “Early Warning: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters,” is part of the Baltimore-based foundation’s KIDS COUNT initiative, and includes state-by-state statistics on academic and social factors that impact student learning. It makes the case for a more coherent system of programs and services for children from birth through grade 3 that lay the foundation for reading development and future academic success. It cites the research on summer learning loss and the importance of high-quality out-of-school resources, such as books, community programs, summer camps, and technology.
There was some major media coverage of the report today, including this piece in Education Week, and another in USA Today. Ralph Smith, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s executive vice president, told USA Today’s Greg Toppo that too many low-income children “simply lose too much ground over the summer” because of the lack of meaningful and engaging activities.
Mary-Ellen Deily also wrote about the report’s summer learning angle over at Edweek’s Beyond School blog.
Take a look. What role do summer learning programs in your community play in getting kids on track toward reading proficiency?
May 18th, 2010
There was a very interesting article in yesterday’s New York Times about alternative pathways into the teaching profession. The article highlights some of the creative, practical new approaches for preparing teachers for the classroom. We’ve seen that summer learning programs can provide a powerful training opportunity for new teachers. We typically describe this as the two-for-one benefit of investing in summer learning programs – they benefit kids directly and help attract and prepare future teachers. How have you used your program for this purpose? What are your ideas for moving this agenda forward in the context of the work that you do during the summer?
April 20th, 2010
In the wake of severe budget cuts, the California Summer Practice Consortium brainstormed a list of funding sources with potential to be tapped to build and expand summer learning programs. There are so many good ideas here that we got to thinking – - imagine the list we’d have if all 50 states chimed in! So, take a look here. Surely one or two of these will spark an idea for you. Then, take a moment to let us know what should be added to the list. Let’s try to generate as many as possible.
A. Partnerships with private schools and camps
B. Allocating percentage of 21st Century Community Learning Center funding
C. School Improvement Grants for underperforming schools
D. Summer of Service grants
E. NASA and other STEM funds
F. Additional philanthropic dollars
G. Investing in Innovation funds
H. Race to the Top dollars
I. State After School Education and Safety supplemental grants
J. Link to larger expanding learning or children’s zone initiatives
K. Obesity prevention and nutrition programs
L. No Child Left Inside initiatives
M. Media literacy program perhaps linked to broadband adoption
N. A federal funding stream focused on summer learning
O. Arts institutions and funding: music, theater, dance, visual arts and fashion design
P. Corporate sponsorships; cause marketing
Q. Small business sponsorships, perhaps for sports and athletics
R. Parent fees, on a sliding scale
S. Neighborhood fundraising, including walk-a-thons, auctions, etc.
T. Links to child care system including Child Care Block grant and/or TANF funds
U. Summer employment dollars
V. Connections with higher education, especially teacher preparation programs
W. Partner with libraries, reading and community & family literacy programs
X. Reinstitute and revamp state support for summer school
Y. Parks and recreation funding
Z. Local parcel tax or mill levy initiatives
AA. Snack tax
March 16th, 2010
There’s an interesting and somewhat alarming article in today’s New York Times about the fact that many nations are passing the United States in Education. “Among OECD countries, only New Zealand, Spain, Turkey and Mexico now have lower high school completion rates than the U.S.”
In my opinion, Senator Harkin is absolutely correct is assessing that part of the problem is that our kids are too “overentertained and distracted.” Summer is a season when far too many kids fall into this category. I’m increasingly concerned as a parent that we’re raising a generation of kids who are far more interested in Britney and Miley than geometry and geography. Many kids understand how to use their Wiis better than they know anything about the causes or implications of WWI or WWII. We’re in serious danger of replacing textbooks with texting, and raising kids who listen to bands like “Creed” or “One Republic,” but don’t actually have a rich knowledge of what those names even mean, or why they are important to all of us as citizens.
Anyway, the article reminded and convicted me that we should seek to remove distractions and the impulse to overentertain in our family life. We need to spend more time thinking, reading, writing, and talking about things that really matter and have lasting importance.
March 10th, 2010
I read a fascinating article in the New York Times Magazine yesterday titled “Building a Better Teacher” by Elizabeth Green. I was struck immediately by how many of elements in Doug Lemov’s taxonomy of effective teaching can be strengthened during the summer months. This is a classic example of how we talk about quality summer learning programs being a 2 for 1 proposition. They benefit kids directly and allow teachers to hone their craft.
March 8th, 2010
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