Program combats summer slide
To succeed in school and life, children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice essential skills. This is especially true during the summer months.
Many parents hold the belief that summer should be a carefree time when “kids can be kids” — a time to take a break from school and learning and to focus on rest and relaxation after a year filled with rigorous academic standards and demanding state assessments. What parents may fail to realize, however, is the amount of educational ground their children may lose during the nearly three-month summer break from school, particularly when it comes to reading.
This loss of academic skills and knowledge during the summer break is known as “summer slide.” Summer slide is a phenomenon that research has shown to be problematic for many students in Northridge, the Miami Valley and beyond. Studies indicate that students can lose at least two months of learning in critical content areas like reading and mathematics during summer vacation. It is especially a problem for students who do not participate in enriching experiences such as summer camps, summer reading programs, or trips to museums, parks and libraries.
In an effort to combat summer slide for students within the Northridge School Family, Northridge has partnered with Learn to Earn Dayton, United Way of Greater Dayton and the Children’s Defense Fund to create a Freedom School summer program for students in kindergarten through second grade. The goal of this six-week summer program is to keep our youngest students from losing ground over the summer months and to help them avoid the consequences of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee.
What are Freedom Schools you ask? Freedom Schools seek to build strong, literate and empowered children prepared to make a difference in themselves, their families, communities, nation and world.
By providing summer reading enrichment for children who otherwise might not have access to books, Freedom Schools play a much needed role in helping to curb summer learning loss, close achievement gaps and ensure a level playing field for all children. Freedom Schools boost student motivation to read, generate more positive attitudes toward learning, increase self-esteem and connect the needs of children and families to the resources of their communities.
The results? After our first summer of implementation, the Northridge Freedom School program (along with many other intervention and enrichment programs throughout the district) has made a significant difference. Data indicates that our students, and Freedom School students throughout Montgomery County, have not only avoided the summer slide, but have enjoyed an average of more than two month’s growth over the summer break. These incredibly positive results, coupled with positive feedback from our students and parents, make it an easy decision to continue this outstanding partnership. Our students are worth this effort ... Together we will! Several Northmont High School football players teamed up with the Englewood branch of the Dayton Metro Library to host a Super Bowl party for area youth. Pictured (from left) are players Nick Moore, Steve Schrodi, Jimi Saul, D.J. Hudson and Prince Benson. The Timmons Family works together on a project. Englewood Elementary STEM students invited their families for a special evening to share some of the projects they have been working on throughout the year. Families were able to participate and get a hands-on perspective of what their children have been working on.