News & Notices http://www.summerlearning.org/news/default.asp Sun, 19 May 2013 01:15:19 GMT Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:41:50 GMT Copyright © 2013 National Summer Learning Association Tampa Bay Times, Research backs Pinellas' push for more classroom time http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=123748 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=123748 The concept is a simple one: students benefit when they spend more time learning. Education researchers say that students living in poverty typically start school behind their middle- and upper-class peers. The summer break worsens that gap. Without extra help, students fall even further behind.

Read the full article. 


]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:41:50 GMT Education Week, Summer Learning Can Be a Game Changer http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=113876 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=113876 "The recent commitment by school leaders in five states to add 300 hours of learning time for students is an important step forward for a public education system that too often is cutting back on the very school hours that our children need to achieve and grow. We urge these states and school districts, along with others around the country, to include in their strategy for these new learning hours the season of greatest educational risk and setback: summer."

Read NSLA CEO, Gary Huggins' article in Education Week.

]]> Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:23:58 GMT AL.com, Birmingham coalition gives nearly $500,000 in grants to prevent summer learning loss http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=112058 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=112058 As a result of the National Summer Learning Association's work in Birmingham, AL, nearly $500,000 in grants will go to local learning programs aimed to keep area students from experiencing the "summer slide."

Read the full story.

]]> Thu, 20 Dec 2012 16:03:57 GMT Pittsburgh is Kidsburgh, Big ideas for fixing the 'summer slide' hit Pittsburgh http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=107430 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=107430 Game-changing summer learning programs come in all shapes and sizes, and more than 500 educators, as well as representatives from community groups that aid the nation's schools, came to Pittsburgh to exchange ideas and learn best practices from national experts at the conference.

Read the full article.

]]> Fri, 2 Nov 2012 14:22:57 GMT McClatchy-Tribune, Wasted summers put young people behind in school http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=105277 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=105277 No matter which political party wins in the coming presidential and congressional elections, our schools will continue to face tough budget choices. That makes it more important than ever for school leaders and community partners to move forward with promising strategies that will help make the most of the taxpayer investments in education for years to come. It's time to wake up and acknowledge what teachers see firsthand each fall as they revisit old lessons: the current school calendar significantly undervalues the summer.

Read the full op-ed.

]]> Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:00:08 GMT National Service Blog, A Healthier Summer Brings Kids Back to School Ready to Learn http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=102768 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=102768 Children learn best when they're healthy. Research – and common sense – point to a relationship between nutrition, healthy weight, and the ability to learn. Research also shows that most children lose as much as two months of grade-level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer and low-income children lose two to three months in reading achievement, while their middle-class peers make slight gains.

Read the full post.

]]> Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:53:54 GMT PBS NEWSHOUR, In Rhode Island, Reinventing Summer School to Prevent Kids' Learning Loss http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=100634 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=100634 Providence, RI is one of five of the National Summer Learning Association's (NSLA) district grantees and a New Vision for Summer School Network member. At a time when 20 percent of districts across the country have eliminated summer school, Providence has redirected its summer remediation funds and is trying something different.

Watch the video below, or visit the PBS NEWSHOUR webpage.

Watch Reinventing Summer School to stop kids' Learning Loss on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

]]> Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:57:04 GMT Learning Matters TV Blog, Why I Teach http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=100318 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=100318 Walleska Lantigua, a teacher embedded by the National Summer Learning Association, through the Hive Learning Networks partnership, blogs about her summer teaching experience with Global Kids in New York City, NY. 

Read the full blog post. 

]]> Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:46:59 GMT New York Times, Using Summer To Narrow Achievement Gap http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=98847 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=98847 "The research shows that all kids lose up to two months of math skills over the summer,” said Jeff Smink, policy analyst with the National Summer Learning Association. The differences show up most on reading skills. Mr. Smink said higher-income children tend to gain skills in reading during the summer months, while children from lower-income families fall one to three months behind.

Read the full article.

]]> Tue, 31 Jul 2012 13:57:07 GMT The Washington Post, School district's new approach to summer learning http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=97958 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=97958 Today 2,300 Pittsburgh Public Schools K-8 graders will board a bus and head back to school. Why? Because educators and parents in Pittsburgh, like the rest of the nation, know that without learning opportunities during the summer months, the persistent achievement gap between higher- and lower-income kids will continue to grow.

Read the full article.

]]> Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:16:24 GMT Bloomberg, How Summer Is Making U.S. Kids Dumber and Fatter http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=97851 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=97851 Some educators are not waiting for the federal government to act -- which appears to be wise, given the inertia in a polarized Washington. For example, the National Summer Learning Association, with private funding, recently began a three-year "Smarter Summers” initiative in 10 cities, aimed at providing high-quality summer instruction for 20,000 students.

Read the full article.

]]> Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:05:00 GMT KPBS, Program staving off summer slide for San Diego students http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=97785 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=97785 State funding cuts have meant fewer summer opportunities for San Diego Unified students, even those in danger of being held back. But for four weeks this summer about 150 rising sixth to eighth graders are participating in the free Summer Adventures program run by THINK Together. The summer learning program is in its second year and will be available at eight different middle school campuses across the city.

Read the full article.

]]> Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:25:22 GMT USA Today, Hybrid programs aim to stem summer learning loss http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=97087 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=97087 While summer school still serves as grim remediation for many students who fail courses during the academic year, more school districts now view it less as a last-resort than as an inexpensive ounce of prevention, a way to head off failure and reduce the achievement gap.

Read the full article.

]]> Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:38:39 GMT Today Show, Healthy Summers for Kids http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=95417 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=95417 The National Summer Learning Association's (NSLA) Healthy Summers research was cited in a Today Show segment on how to keep kids healthy during the summer months.

Watch the video.

]]> Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:59:40 GMT Marketplace, Rebranding summer school http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=95226 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=95226 National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) CEO, Gary Huggins was interviewed on American Public Media's Marketplace about summer learning loss. 

Listen to the podcast or read the interview.

]]> Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:47:05 GMT The Washington Post, Untapped strategy for ed reform: summer learning http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=94928 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=94928 The National Summer Learning Association's (NSLA) CEO, Gary Huggins writes for The Washington Post's The Answer Sheet on how summer learning is an important, often absent strategy, in the education reform conversation.

Read the full article.

]]> Tue, 19 Jun 2012 14:20:34 GMT CNN, Walmart Foundation pledges $20 million for summer programs http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=94624 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=94624 Walmart and its philanthropy arm, the Walmart Foundation, announced on Wednesday that it is giving $20 million to support youth summer programs that promote healthy meals, educational opportunities and employment, and skills training.

Out of the $20 million distributed to multiple youth-focused organizations, $4 million has gone to the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), and will provide more than 7,000 summer learning opportunities for middle-schoolers in promising summer learning programs run by five large school districts across the country over the next two years.

Read the full article.

]]> Thu, 14 Jun 2012 20:00:41 GMT Education Week, Walmart Pledges $4 Million for Summer Learning http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=94623 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=94623 Five districts will each receive $360,000 for their summer programs, according to the National Summer Learning Association. The districts, Houston; Oakland, Calif.; Pittsburgh; Providence, R.I.; and Duval County, Fla., which were selected because of their commitment to summer learning, will use the money to serve 720 middle school students each.

Read the full article.

]]> Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:55:22 GMT The Florida Times Union, Duval school district gets $360,000 for summer learning http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=94494 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=94494 Duval County Public Schools in Florida is among five school districts nationwide to share in a $4 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to improve summer learning programs. The Walmart grant was provided to the National Summer Learning Association to provide more than 7,000 summer learning opportunities for middle-schoolers in promising summer learning programs run by the five school districts over the next two years.

Read the full article. 

]]> Wed, 13 Jun 2012 19:56:18 GMT The Sacramento Bee, Schools, community groups partner for summer programs in Sacramento area http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=93705 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=93705 California budget cuts had left schools with little money to fund summer classes beyond those for teens in need of credits to graduate. But some local school districts are leveraging partnerships with community groups and national nonprofits to bring enrichment programs to thousands of students this summer.

Read the full article

]]> Tue, 5 Jun 2012 14:47:44 GMT HechingerEd Blog, How summer increases the achievement gap http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=92987 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=92987 At the 2012 Education Writers Association annual conference, a panel of education experts, including National Summer Learning Association CEO, Gary Huggins, discussed how summer affects student learning, and what can be done about it.

Read the full article

]]> Fri, 25 May 2012 16:42:21 GMT San Francisco Examiner, City looks to boost summertime learning http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=89669 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=89669 California launches the Summer Matters 2012 campaign, organized by the Partnerships for Children and Youth and supported by state and local agencies, which aims to drum up support for summer learning and expand existing programs to serve an additional 50,000 low-income California children each summer.

 Read the full article from the San Francisco Examiner.

]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:02:12 GMT The Huffington Post, Reinvigorating the American dream: Tackling the achievement gap http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=84850 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=84850 Rising income and wealth inequality has eroded economic opportunity in America. The potential of education to overcome adversity and our collective belief in a fluid social structure continue to be hailed as evidence that everyone has access to a path out of poverty. However, it seems that our education system may be compounding, rather than countering, the disadvantages faced by millions of low-income children. A recent New York Times article highlights the impact of growing economic stratification on achievement gaps in American schools.

 

Read the full article.

]]> Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:26:13 GMT The New York Times, Education gap grows between rich and poor, studies say http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=83408 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=83408 Education was historically considered a great equalizer in American society, capable of lifting less advantaged children and improving their chances for success as adults. But a body of recently published scholarship suggests that the achievement gap between rich and poor children is widening, a development that threatens to dilute education’s leveling effects.

Read the full article.

]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:12:08 GMT The Chicago Tribune, Emanuel wants more summer library programs http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=82210 http://www.summerlearning.org/news/news.asp?id=82210 Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced Brian Bannon as his new public library chief and is calling on him to improve summer learning programs for Chicago children to help them retain knowledge from one school year to the next so they don't "slide back" between grades.

"In the summer months, our children, not just in the city of Chicago but across the country, lose about six months of their educational standards from one grade to the next," Emanuel said at a City Hall news conference. "And one of the things I asked him to take on was to find that mission in the summer, how the Chicago Public Library can step into that void."

Read the full article.

]]> Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:09:23 GMT