For those following the results of educational research, one can’t help but be struck by the paucity of measureable results coming out of many of these often very rigorous studies. Speaking as one in the “business” – my Center evaluates educational programs – I begin to question the wisdom of our narrow focus on the effects of specific curricula, particular instructional regimens and professional development programs on student academic outcomes. Not that they aren’t important, but we seem to be continually in search of that one magic bullet that will insure children and youth learn all the things we expect them to learn by the time they are 18 years of age. Are we missing the obvious?
We all know that young people need so much more than curriculum and instruction to develop and learn. This is recognized by Strive in the goals it sets for Student and Family SUPPORT, and by the United Way of Greater Cincinnati in its comprehensive approach to achieving the community impact goal of “children grow into successful adults”. One of the things that children and youth need is continuity of care that promotes health, safety and engagement in learning throughout the summer months.
Young people from less advantaged families, in particular, need extra support to meet their developmental needs in the summer. Children need access to good nutrition and health care, a physically and emotionally safe environment, and engaging and challenging activities that continue to stimulate their developing minds. In the 2009 Impact Report on Education, the United Way of Greater Cincinnati pointed out that, “Children living in impoverished communities must have the same enrichment and learning opportunities as their counterparts in affluent neighborhoods.” In the summer months, many children not involved in any type of summer learning activity actually lose academic ground in comparison with their peers who are engaged in personally meaningful activities that help to solidify and extend learning that took place during the school year. Research on the achievement gap indicates that disparities in learning opportunities for children outside of school – in the preschool years and in the summer during the elementary school years – may account for as much as 75% of the gap in academic achievement between less advantaged and more advantaged children.
The National Summer Learning Association's (NSLA) mission is connecting and equipping schools and community organizations to deliver quality summer learning programs to help close the achievement gap. The NSLA’s website cites the following research about summer learning:
· Most students fall more than two months behind in math over the summer.
· Low-income children fall behind two to three months in reading each summer, while their middle and upper-income peers make slight gains.
· By the end of fifth grade, lower-income children can be nearly three years behind their higher-income peers in reading.
This research and information about how many areas of the country are addressing the summer learning gap are addressed in The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development’s (ASCD) Whole Child Podcast for June.
Our region provides a number of avenues for children and youth to participate in enriching activities in the summer. For one, Cincinnati Public Schools provides a four-week 5th Quarter Program in 16 low-performing schools. This program serves approximately 3500 students who will receive accelerated academic instruction and enrichment activities in areas such as health, arts and music, and environmental education, as well as free breakfast and lunch. Other programs serving low-income youth are offered by the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati, GEAR UP, Hamilton County Public Library, Hamilton County Parks and Recreation, and the City of Cincinnati’s Recreation Centers.
When school is out in the summer many low-income children also lose access to the nutritious school breakfasts, lunches and afterschool snacks they receive during the school year. And, research shows that children, particularly those at high risk for obesity, gain weight more rapidly during the summer break due to less healthy eating. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) reports that fewer than one in six children who receive free- or reduced-price meals during the school year gets them in summer. Two federal nutrition programs, the Summer Food Service Program and the National School Lunch Program, exist to help feed children during the summer months. The names of sites administering these programs in Ohio are listed on the Ohio Department of Education’s website. At some sites, participation is restricted to summer program participants; at other sites, participation is open to all children 1 – 18 years of age, as well as 19 -21 year-olds identified as having a physical or mental disability and currently enrolled in an educational program.
The bad news is that the number of children who participate in these programs is quite low. FRAC published the following participation statistics for one month, July 2007.
Average Daily Participation in Summer Nutrition, July 2007 Participation rate for low-income children Ohio 58, 245 11.4% Kentucky 46,374 16% Indiana 43,350 13.6%
The Children’s Hunger Alliance shows that the news is even worse for counties in Southwest Ohio. In 2009 only 7.1% of eligible children in Hamilton County, 6.6% in Butler, 0.6% in Clermont, and 0.4% in Warren County, participated in summer nutrition programs.
Research that is perhaps not as high-profile as some of the studies about particular educational approaches, but still relevant, indicates that a number of factors – physical and emotional health, safety, engagement, support, and challenge – that the ASCD’s Healthy School Communities initiative calls a “whole child” approach are not only important but critical to optimal growth and development. Research also shows that we are doing a great disservice to our young people when we neglect these factors in the summer.
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