Dive Brief:
- Like many school districts nationwide, the District of Columbia's public schools are working hard to draw students and families back into the classroom over the summer to combat standard learning loss.
- The Washington Post reports more than 2,700 students in kindergarten through seventh grade are participating in free enrichment activities at their public schools this summer, along with others who have signed up for programs through nonprofits, charters and other organizations.
- The Power Scholars Academy has two DC locations, offering students math and reading instruction in the morning, and science, music, theater, leadership development and fitness opportunities in the afternoon.
Dive Insight:
The “summer slide” is most challenging for schools that serve high numbers of students from low-income families. These are the students less likely to participate in enrichment activities over the summer and the ones most likely to have their reading skills atrophy. Studies show these students arrive at school in the fall having lost as much as three months of reading skills, while their wealthier peers show up having made modest gains.
Some districts have shifted to year-round school models in which a shorter summer break is balanced out with more vacation spaced throughout the year, giving students far less time to forget what they learned in school. In North Carolina, the tourism industry has opposed the trend in a fight that has played out in the state’s budget process.