Schools plan for summer enrichment, outside the computer screen

Many children and parents in New Hampshire are sick and tired of remote learning, but with the tumultuous school year coming to an end, educators say that summer education could be more important than ever this year. With that in mind, districts are looking to keep students engaged and enriched this summer, while minimizing the frustrations of virtual learning. 

“Summer learning is of particular importance this year for students who didn’t thrive in remote instruction,” said Ben Nester, director of special education for SAU 6 which includes Claremont and Unity.

Summer school in New Hampshire consists of many different programs. Students with individualized education plans are often eligible for an extended school year, which means instruction continues during the summer months. In many districts, high school students who have fallen behind on classes or failed classes are given the opportunity for credit recovery over the summer so that they can keep up with their graduating class. 

In addition to those more formal schooling opportunities, many districts offer universal enrichment opportunities — similar to camps — which allow students to explore skills like yoga or woodworking that they may not learn during the traditional school year. Those programs often have fees. 

Summer instruction is meant to combat the well-documented “summer slide” that occurs when students lose skills they had after being out of the classroom during the summer. On average, students lose about one month’s worth of skills over the summer, according to The Brookings Institute. The summer slide is worse at higher grade levels, and hits low-income students hardest. 

This year, the summer slide may have started earlier, as students’ learning was disrupted by the transition to digital instruction, said George Shea, assistant superintendent for the Portsmouth School District. The most vulnerable students — including low-income students and those with disabilities — likely had the hardest time with the change.

“Remote learning has had that same inequitable effect,” Shea said. 

To keep all students on track, the Portsmouth School District is offering free universal summer enrichment to all elementary school students. Using funding from The Clipper Foundation, a Portsmouth-based non-profit, the district is providing students with books and comic books, as well as orchestrating a socially-distant sidewalk math program. The focus is on providing enrichment that doesn’t take place through a computer, Shea said. 

“There is a burnout on too much technology, too many screens,” he said. 

Formal teaching programs for students with IEPs and high schoolers doing credit recovery will start remote, Shea said, but the district hasn’t ruled out the possibility of in-person learning for small groups later in the summer. 

Salem School District is taking a similar approach, trying to engage students in a different and more fun way, said Maura Palmer, assistant superintendent for academics and support.

“We always want to keep students enriched over the summer, and we’re trying to get as creative as we can,” Palmer said. 

One summer instructor designed a digital escape room that students can participate in, Palmer said. She hopes that the district’s summer enrichment programs feel more entertaining than remote learning.

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“They hopefully have a feel to them that is different,” she said. “We are always looking for ways to extend learning opportunities for students during the summer months, and looking to provide a variety of activities so we can reach different learners.”

Palmer has been pleasantly surprised by the positive response to both the enrichment programs and more formal summer instruction, which will be remote. 

“We weren’t sure what to expect,” she said. 

In Claremont, all students with an IEP are being given the opportunity to participate in an extended school year, with instruction delivered remotely. That’s a “very big expansion” of the summer learning program, said Nester. Normally, students with IEPs are evaluated at the end of the year and only about 10% are invited to extended school year programs. This year, every one of the roughly 360 special needs students in the district will be invited to the programs, and Nester estimates half will participate. 

“It’s been a difficult year for families, staff and students,” Nester said. “We want to give them every opportunity to hit the ground running in the fall.”

The district will be using state grant money to fund the expanded summer learning program, Nester said. Because instruction is remote, the cost per pupil is lower, allowing the district to include more kids. 

Nester worried that parents and staff would not be interested in more remote learning, but he was pleased to find plenty of teachers willing to continue working over the summer and families eager to participate. 

“Surprisingly, there are a number of parents who are still interested in their kids receiving services,” he said.

Some school districts, including The White Mountains Regional School District, are still finalizing their approach to summer learning. Superintendent Marion Anastasia said on June 2 that the district will make its plans public next week. 

It’s important that children have learning opportunities through the summer, whether or not those opportunities come from the school district, said Shea. Engaging students in everyday learning opportunities in the community, in nature and with small groups of peers can do a lot to combat summer slide, he said. 

“School doesn’t hold a monopoly on good learning. There’s a lot to be learned in the summer from doing non-school activities.”

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