As summer nears, school districts begin ‘scenario planning’ it’s unclear whether in-person summer learning will be possible, but a few options are beginning to emerge.
Author, Linda Jacobson for Education Dive
Saturday “academies” and extending the current school year are among the possible ways state and district leaders say they plan to use the summer months to counter some of the learning loss expected due to school closures, uneven internet access and delays in implementing formal online instruction.
“We’re at the beginning of the conversation of what summer might look like,” California State Superintendent Tony Thurmond said last week during a press call focusing on parents’ early experiences with remote learning.
With $16 billion potentially available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act for K-12 education, leaders can begin to discuss whether some of those funds will be directed toward summer school.
“If districts want to think in innovative ways about how they could be bringing that money to bear on summer learning. they can use the dollars for that purpose,” said Mike Magee, CEO of Chiefs for Change, a network of current and former state and district superintendents.