STEMming Summer Learning Loss in Central Texasand

2014 Summer STEM RFP Launch

January 16, 2014

Summer Learning Loss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZolcNG3GVCs

Accelerating Outcomesthrough Summer Learning

Sarah Pitcock, CEO

National Summer Learning Association

This Morning

Why Summer Matters

Where are we? National Conversation

Big Ideas in STEM

NSLA seeks to:• Improve the quality of summer learning opportunities• Expand access to summer learning• Increase demand for summer learning

Our Mission

How do we do this?

We serve as the nation’s leading voice forbuilding awareness of the value of summerlearning

We convene and provide best practices andtechnical assistance to school districts, nonprofitsand city and state leaders

We change public systems and public policy

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When we are successful:

1. School districts include high-quality summerlearning in a 12-month student achievementplan for all kids in Title I schools;

2. Providers align school-year and summerprograms through shared indicators ofquality and effectiveness in coordinatedsystems; and

When we are successful:

3. States and localities use summer learning toaccelerate education priorities, such as 3rd

grade reading, middle school transitions,teacher effectiveness and post-secondaryreadiness.

Why Summer Matters

“Virtually all of the advantage thatwealthy students have over poorstudents is the result of differences inthe way privileged kids learn when theyare not in school….America doesn’thave a school problem. It has a summervacation problem …”

Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers, pp. 258 - 260

“It may seem counterintuitive, but schools don’tseem to produce much of the disparity in testscores between high- and low-incomestudents…

There is some evidence that achievement gapsbetween high- and low-income studentsactually narrow during the nine-monthschool year, but they widen again in thesummer months.”

Source: Sean Reardon, No Rich Child Left Behind, New York Times

Op-Ed, April 30, 2013.

Afterschool and Summer

Faucet Theory: learningresources are turned on forall youth during the schoolyear because of equalaccess to public education.

Afterschool and Summer

During the summer, the faucet is turned OFFfor low-income youth.

A limited flow of resources in the summer hasmajor implications for summer programquality.

What is the opportunity gap?

Over the last 40 years, upper-income parentshave increased the amount they spend ontheir kids’ enrichment activities, like tutoringand extra curriculars, by $5,300 a year.

Lower-income parents have only been able toincrease their investment by $480, adjustedfor inflation.

3,536

5,650

6,975

8,872

8351,264 1,173 1,315

0

2,500

5,000

7,500

10,000

1972 to 1973 1983 to 1984 1994 to 1995 2005 to 2006

Enrichment Expenditures on Children(in 2008 dollars)

Top Quintile Income Bottom Quintile Income

Source: Whither Opportunity?, 2011, Greg Duncan and Richard Murnane, ed., p. 11

The growing opportunity gap

The problem we are solving

There is a persistent achievement gapbetween higher and lower income youth,producing lifelong consequences.

By ninth grade, the gap is as wide as 6.5 years.

Up to half of the gap is caused by lack ofsummer learning opportunities.

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Lack of Summer LearningWidens the Achievement Gap

Why the achievement gapis a problem

Falling behind causes kids to drop out of school.

• If a child is not proficient in reading by third grade, heis four times as likely to drop out of high school.

Dropping out results in low wages, higher rates ofunemployment and incarceration and reliance onpublic assistance.

One high school dropout costs society $200,000more in her lifetime than a high schoolgraduate.

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Summer Learning is a viablesolution to level the

playing field.

Where is summer learningas an issue?

• Awareness

• Policy

• Action

Summer Learning Media Coverage

2007 - 2013

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

nu

mb

er

of

sto

rie

sSummer Learning In The News

summer learning summer learning loss summer slide

The New York Times

By Motoko Rich

June 30, 2013

At Retooled Summer Schools,Creativity, Not Just Catch-Up

Hybrid Programs Aim toStem Summer Learning Loss

USA Today

By Greg Toppo

July 18, 2013

Summer 2013 Twitter Buzz

• Awareness is high, and it’s beginning totranslate into policy and action

Where is summer learningas an issue?

Federal context

Broad education reform agenda defined by:

Flexibility

New Ways of Doing Accountability

Evidence-Based Practices

Key Implications

We have an opportunity, and a need, to showhow summer learning accelerates a variety ofeducation priorities that cities and states careabout, including third grade readingproficiency, teacher effectiveness and collegeand career readiness

We need to use evidence-based models

State Action on More Time

New Mexico- six-year pilot: 25 moredays, K-3 grades

New York- law: 25% increase in learningtime

New Jersey- State of the State priority

Washington- new legislation: 20 days ayear, for three years

Texas Summer TeacherTraining Program

TX House Bill 742

• New statewide competitive grant program forsummer learning

• Requires districts to pair HQ teachers with firstyear apprentices

• Did not receive appropriations

3rd Grade Reading

32 states have passed legislation designed toimprove 3rd grade reading proficiency

• Includes mandatory retention in 14 states

• Texas retains in grades 5 and 8

3rd Grade Reading

Campaign for Grade-Level Readingencourages focus on summer learning in 130communities. In Texas, those are:• Arlington-Mansfield

• Austin

• Brownsville

• Houston

• San Antonio

• Waco

• Wharton, Colorado & Matagorda Counties

Local Action: New Vision forSummer School Network

Austin

Baltimore

Birmingham

Boston

Charlotte-Mecklenburg

Chicago

Cincinnati

Council Bluffs

Dallas

Duval County

Fairfax County

Fresno

Grand Rapids

Houston

Milwaukee

Minneapolis

Newark

New York City

Oakland

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

Providence

Racine (WI)

Rochester

Sacramento

Seattle

Springfield (MA)

Washington, DC

Wausau (WI)

Systems Building

Cities are coming together with cross-sectorsteering committees to jointly plan, market,assess and fund their programs citywide.

• Baltimore

• NYC

• Grand Rapids

• Sacramento

• Birmingham

Working Within Existing State Policies

School Improvement Grants

21st Century

NCLB Waivers- SES funding in Title I

Title I

Title II

Find it onsummerlearning.org

Big Ideas in STEM

What matters?

Relationships with Peers

Relationships with Adults

Critical Thinking

Perseverance

Learning Interest

Optimism

Empathy

School Bonding

STEM Must-Haves:

Ongoing Projects, not drive-by STEM

Relevance

Connected Learning- peer networks/socialaspect

Experts as peers

Clear college and career applications

School-year continuity

Science Fieldwork

STEM Design Challenges

Add photo

Earthquake resistant structures

Game-Based Math

Why Games?

• Significantly improves youth attitude towardmathematics, science and engineering.

• Allows students to move at their own pace tomastery.

• Allows teachers to track student progressthrough real-time data.

Digital Media Production

Youth as producers, not just consumers of web-based and digital media

Global Kids - NYC Haunts

Youth designed location-based game using mobiletechnology (ARIS)

Historical scavenger hunt• Civil War Draft Riots

• Youth created characters to giveclues to players of the game

http://olpglobalkids.org/gaming/nyc-haunts

http://aadle3.wix.com/aris-scavenger-hunt

10 steps to making your own game!

Digital Media Production

Mozilla Webmaker offers free authoring toolsand software:

From supercharging web video with Popcorn,to exploring and remixing with the X-RayGoggles, to making your own web pageswith Thimble.

“Like a Swiss Army knife or ‘superhero utilitybelt’ for webmaking.”

What’s Next?

Order your copy atSummerStartsInSeptember.com

Limited quantities available!

SUMMER STARTS IN SEPTEMBERSummer Program Planning Guide

THANK YOU!

www.summerlearning.org

BREAK

Finish Mapping Exercise

Network

Back in 20 minutes

STEMming Summer Learning Loss in Central Texasand

2014 Summer STEM RFP Launch

KDK-Harman Foundation’s Summer STEM RFP

Expand summer learning opportunities by increasing:

the number of high-quality STEM programs

the total number of STEM program seats for K-12 students

the total funding for K-12 Summer STEM programs

Prevent Summer Learning Loss and Close the Achievement Gap

Encourage students to choose STEM-related fields for higher learning throughfun, engaging, and academically rigorous summer STEM camps

Increase the percentage of students entering STEM fields in Central Texas

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10

24

2

7

11

0

5

10

15

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30

Summer 2011 Summer 2012 Summer 2013

Summer Programs Application Growth

# STEM Apps # Funded

858

703

1435

718

590

1317

0

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800

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1200

1400

1600

2011 Total # students (per app) infunded programs

2012 Total # of students (per app) infunded programs

2013 Total # students in fundedprograms

2011-2013 Student Attendance ofSummer STEM Programs

Attendance Forecast Actual Attendance

Findings

Wide range of evolving programs

Similar organizational and systemic challenges/opportunities

attendance

teacher recruitment and training

classroom/lab space

parent engagement

competing priorities summer school

travel

Share Your Expertise

Table discussions

Capture ideas and best practices

Share short- and long-term solutions forSummer STEM programs in Central Texas

2014 Summer STEM RFP

$500,000 to be awarded from KDK-Harman Foundation

RFP opens January 16 - TODAY!

Rolling Approval of Applications

Final Deadline: February 21

Please visit us atwww.KDK-Harman.org