Dive Brief:
- More than 8 in 10 superintendents said their district is planning to maintain or increase access to summer learning this year, with 73% saying that maintaining or improving academic skills is the single most important benefit of summer programming, according to survey results released Tuesday by the National Summer Learning Association and AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
- But district leaders pointed to challenges in providing summer programming, including schedule conflicts with parent workdays or children's other activities, along with limited capacity to meet the demands for instruction.
- In addition to improving academic performances, superintendents cited advantages such as engaging students in enriching activities, offering opportunities for fun and improving children's mental health as top benefits of summer learning activities.
Dive Insight:
The poll results offer a glimpse into the direction districts are taking as federal COVID-19 emergency funds expire and a new Congress and White House establish their priorities, the two organizations’ leaders said in the report.
Gallup conducted the poll of 421 superintendents nationwide in November through January.
"This research underscores what superintendents across the country know to be true — high-quality summer learning programs are not just beneficial; they are essential to student success," said David Schuler, executive director of AASA, in a March 18 statement. "Even as federal emergency funds expire, district leaders remain committed to sustaining and expanding these opportunities because they see firsthand the positive impact they make on academic achievement and student engagement.”
Some education experts and researchers have been expecting a national decrease in summer school programs after years of growth fueled by the pandemic emergency funding. Some 81% of school districts offered summer programs in 2023, according to a May 2024 report from Rand Corp.
And an Association of School Business Officials International survey released a few months earlier found expanding summer learning and enrichment programs to be the most popular strategy for addressing student academic recovery needs with the last of the COVID-19 emergency allocations.
Academic performance dropped nationwide during the pandemic and recent results from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress show the nation's 4th and 8th graders made little to no progress since on reading and math skills.
"This Gallup report confirms that high-quality summer learning programs are not just enrichment, they are critical to student success,” said Aaron Dworkin, CEO of NSLA, in a March 18 statement.
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