Motoko Rich,
writer for the New York Times, takes the time to investigate new style of
summer school being implemented by many large school districts. These programs are not for students who have
failed to reach a certain academic level.
The fear is that many students are in danger of falling behind over the
summer, so these programs are set up to help keep students, specifically those
from a disadvantaged background, at a level playing field. Research shows that students fall back a
month academically during summer break.
Nikolai Vitti, a superintendent at one of the schools, points out the
sad reality that there are children who are “sitting at home, waking up at 11
in the morning, eating doughnuts, and watching cartoons.”
The program runs
six weeks for eight hours a day and contains no more than 15 students per
class. Studies include art, music,
forensic science, marine biology, sailing, fencing, and karate lessons. The
students have also gone on field trips to museums, theatres, the bowling alley,
the movies, and a wildlife reserve. A
portion of the academics is similar to the regular school year; however there
are other creative activities that the students are involved in. For example, a group of fourth grade students
met in the library to create scripts that would later be produced as a short
film. The teacher in charge of this
entertaining activity states, “They don’t even realize that they are learning
to write and present themselves while they are writing these scripts.”
These programs are
funded by the Wallace Foundation, which is a private charitable organization
that has donated $50 million for evaluation of academic results connected to
summer school. Starting this summer
there are 5,700 fourth grade students involved in the program. These students will have their standardized
test performance and behavioral factors evaluated over at least a two year
program. Not only does the funding allow
for several field trips, the teachers are also able to offer greater
incentives, like an ice cream party for students with perfect attendance.
Personally, I
believe that this program is a great idea.
My daughter has a specialized education plan for reading and mathematics
during the school year. When we have our
first IEP meeting the teachers always point out that they don’t have a lot of
growth to show us, because most of the first month of school is review for the
students from the previous year. Within
the education program we are constantly learning about time management. If we are able to dedicate a portion of the
summer to continuing students education the month of time could probably be
greatly reduced.
This program has
been set up to help all students, but particularly students from disadvantaged
backgrounds. On page 47 in our textbook
it talks about students who are at risk for school failure. The book indicates that ethnicity,
disability, and income all impact academic access and success. The book points out that one of the goals
should be to “provide the knowledge and skills to more effectively serve the
learning needs of a wide range of students.”
I believe that this summer school program is an excellent example of a
set of people going beyond what is required of them to help reach these at risk
students.
Research from the
textbook on page 57 states that students raised in poverty needed a supportive
adult within the lives. The adult who
believed in them and supported them was linked to their success. Look at the impact that these teachers are
going to making on these students who normally may have been in bed until 11 in
the morning, eating doughnuts, and watching television. The “warm demanders” within this program
could mean the difference between the students having the desire to finish
their education. Students want teachers
who care, and what better way to show that they care then to give up a portion
of their summer and dedicate it to making a difference in these kids’ lives?
I love the idea of
the teacher who took her writing lesson and turned it into an exciting activity
involving writing a script and producing a short film. The principal of this school pointed out that
this type of engaging instructional activity should be what school is like all
year long. Page 248 of our textbook
shares that research shows that “teachers who are more effective in enhancing
students’ motivation to learn show an interest in and excitement about learning
and model task-related thinking and problem solving.” The teacher was enthusiastic about the
activity, and the kids didn’t even realize that they were learning through the
activity. This is the type of attitude
the teachers and students should have about school!
References
Jones, V., &
Jones, L. (2013). Comprehensive Classroom Management (10 ed.). New
Jersey: Pearson.
Rich, M. (2013,
June 30). At Retooled Summer Schools, Creativity, Not Just Catch-Up -
NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2013, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/01/education/at-retooled-summer-schools-creativity-not-just-catch-up.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
