Why is this so important? A few facts:
- Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months – and score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer. This is especially pronounced for disadvantaged students, who slip in both math and reading.
- The cost of re-teaching material when students return from summer is more than $1,500 per child – more than $18,000 during their K-12 education.
- More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college.
Higher Achievement scholars are beating these odds, and we're proud to be a part of the summer learning revolution. Through our program, hundreds of young people in Washington DC, Baltimore, and Richmond won’t spend the summer in front of a TV or on the street. They'll learn math, science, literature, and art. They’ll take field trips. They’ll read books. They’ll stay overnight at a college – attending college classes and seeing, many for the first time, what options are available to them beyond high school. They will come back to their classrooms in the fall fully prepared and ready to excel in the year ahead.
In honor of Summer Learning Day, we put together this short video of Higher Achievement families talking about what our Summer Academy means to them. Enjoy - and help us spread the word!
Happy Summer!
