Connection and creativity, not necessarily structured learning, can make summer successful

After two full years of pandemic schooling, districts across the country are tackling the problem of learning regression. Many strategies involve leveraging extra summer instruction, but what do experts say about where parents should start?

First of all, summer learning doesn't have to be 100% academic. Parents and schools can succeed by emphasizing children's interests, suggested Aaron Dworkin, CEO of the National Summer Learning Association.

"Number one is finding your students' passion," Dworkin said.

Summer camps can build up social skills and independence, along with providing access to crucial mentors. For older teens, Dworkin said a summer job is one of the best forms of hands-on and real-world learning.

"Look at summer as this chance to work on your game. What is that you want to become? Better at singing, better at piano, better at driving — you've got the chance," Dworkin said.

Dworkin recommended parents take advantage of their city's free programming. Public libraries, parks and recreation departments, and other organizations offer a range of free activities.

Related: Summer camps are back for 2022! See our huge list of how to keep kids busy during break

This summer is a prime opportunity because the American Rescue Plan included $30 billion for afterschool and summer programs in the next few years.

Learning in a school setting

Knox County Schools is once again offering a summer boot camp for some students.

The four-week program is for both elementary and middle school students, there's a credit recovery program for high schoolers. Eligibility is based on academic performance and economic situations.

The camps include free bus transportation and a free breakfast and lunch. For both elementary and middle school, the camp offers four hours of reading, writing and math instruction; one hour of intervention; and one hour of play or physical activity.

The deadline for eligible families to register for the camps is Friday. Eligible families should have received an email with sign-up instructions.

Dworkin said it's important to remember that all students regress in summer — it's called the "summer slide," and it can be worse for low-income students and students of color.

Data on the summer slide shows vulnerable students lose a couple months of schooling every summer, and those losses are cumulative.

"Over time, with five years in a row of this, kids were really falling behind. It shows up in different ways. You have to spend a lot of time relearning what you did last year," Dworkin said.

For the most part, the "faucet" of public education turns off in the summer. Gaps widen because higher income families can afford to shell out thousands for summer enrichment.

"Low-income kids don't have those and can't afford or access those opportunities," Dworkin said. "So that subset of the population is not getting the chance to practice the math and reading skills and also accelerate learning by learning new things."

New data confirmed fears the pandemic would worsen summer slide, Dworkin said.

"In math, people tend to do worse because at least with reading, families feel more comfortable practicing reading and reading to their kids at home," Dworkin said. "Math is not something people work on in the same way, so that's even a little bit worse."

This tight-rope situation is worsened for families who rely on schools for services like meals. Hunger is a summer learning issue, too.

Differentiate for interests and age

Enrichment is not one-size-fits-all. Different age groups and levels of schooling need different programming.

Younger children might do best with local programming at the library or park. Older kids are more suitable to sleepaway camp or programming on a college campus.

The city of Knoxville offers camps in June for children ages 6-12. These camps have a $20 registration fee and $20 weekly fee.

Knox County's public libraries host free summer activities for all age groups at various locations. They have daily story time for babies and preschoolers, craft sessions and visits from the Zoomobile.

The University of Tennessee hosts Kids U summer camps for students grades 3-12. ACT prep courses for high schoolers are free. Tennessee Athletics also hosts sports camps.

For more summer ideas, visit Knox News' list of Knoxville area summer camps.

And, learning should be adapted to a kids' interest.

"It doesn't matter really what they're reading as long as they read 30 minutes a day," Dworkin said. If a child likes bugs, let them read about bugs. If they like space, then go for books about space.

The important thing, Dworkin said, is to let a kid's natural curiosity guide their enrichment.

"Ultimately, all of education is about empowering students to take ownership for their own learning," Dworkin said.

Across age groups, timing is everything. Dworkin recommended targeting "built-in life transitions" like the summers between elementary and middle school, middle and high school, high school and college.

"If you do a program that's targeted on how to get kids ready for the next step, it's proven data-wise, hugely impactful," Dworkin said.

Form connections

If summer enrichment is going to close some gaps caused by the pandemic, restoring personal connections is a top priority.

"All the things we do to allow kids to connect, those are the things that COVID stripped away," Dworkin said.

To help restore connections, Dworkin recommended establishing a common goal or project.

"Community service is a major thing to do over the summer that allows connection and can be fun ... and a sense of something bigger than yourselves," Dworkin said.

Any activity that's team-based or binds the group to a goal can both strengthen connections and grease the rusty wheels of socialization.

Mentorship can be huge for kids, especially older teens. This is an unspoken part of summer camps, Dworkin said, because of access to college-aged role models who mentor by example as counselors.

Relationships are even more important in response a youth mental health crisis.

"It can't only be that we only need to respond to the math and reading to catch up," Dworkin said. "We really need to get people connected."

Real-world applications

Summer is a time for hands-on learning and career exploration. With partnerships between schools and corporations increasing, schools should leverage those relationships for summer jobs.

"The holy grail of learning is the paid summer internship," Dworkin said. "Not the unpaid summer internship, which is one of the most unfair forms of summer learning."

A summer job can help older teens hone the intangibles that prepare them for the workforce as well as give them a better idea of their preferred career.

Kids are tech savvy enough for hands-on projects.

"Don't just be on apps, learn how to create an app," Dworkin said. For example, making a podcast with interviews from family can boost tech skills, listening comprehension, planning and self=initiated goals.

Spoonful of sugar

Summer school in the U.S. has a reputation as a punishment, a mandatory and boring recitation of remedial lessons. Good summer learning programs should be the opposite — engaging and fun.

Dworkin said summer enrichment should utilize "disguised learning" — using games and creative methods to present curriculum in ways that feel like playing, not learning.

Disguised learning is the practice behind online games that teach kids to code or even the age-old practice of "playing cash register" that teaches kids to count money.

Summer enrichment can be like that. It's not just about what students missed, but about learning new skills and discovering intangibles presented in engaging ways.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Summer learning loss: Tips for parents on how to plan activities