While the first summer days always begin with excitement and anticipation, nearly all parents eventually start to worry about their child's summertime video game, television, and computer gaming habits. Many parents want to find ways to help children find an appropriate balance between leisure and learning.
Similarly, teachers actively strive to boost children's educational interests over the summer, as many teachers argue that engaging in summertime learning activities helps improve a child's progress throughout his or her formative years. Studies show that by the time a student reaches middle school, a loss of summer reading can potentially account for a two-year setback in reading achievement! Fortunately, to offer parents guidance and support, public schools nationwide have developed new agendas and programs to keep a child's mind active while away from school on summer vacation.
Summer Assignments
While all public school teachers presumably encourage students to engage in educational endeavors over the summer, some school leaders have taken this hope to the next level with required public school summer assignments. Summer assignments in the past have typically been reserved only for the highly ambitious Advanced Placement kids, but schools are now gradually extending various tasks for all students.
As The Chicago Sun-Times reports, over 170,000 public school students, ranging from kindergarten to 7th, are being provided with workbooks, lesson plans, and reading assignments for their summer vacations. With a new program to avoid students' historical patterns of education-free summers, Chicago Public Schools have dedicated $2.7 million towards helping students remain engaged throughout the year. Also, since many gifted or advanced students are already required to complete summer assignments, this new initiative is aimed solely at the kids not required to attend mandatory summer school programs or activities.
Public School Initiatives
Adding to new summer assignment agendas, the Traverse City Record-Eagle further highlights new public school initiatives. The report reveals that Traverse City Area Public Schools, located in Michigan, has updated its summer reading lists for all elementary and high school students. Posted for viewers to review online, the lists help students peruse recommendations for children and college-bound senior graduates. Additionally, Traverse City Schools has implemented several reading initiatives, ranging from reading programs in libraries to providing take-home books for children. Some of the area's most successful programs involve providing the incoming high school freshmen reading clubs, which provide students with weekly prize drawings and raffles.
Staying Smart during summer...Online!
Also providing extended summer opportunities, Wooster Public Schools in Ohio have created online forums for advanced summer programs. According to The Daily Record, a collection of Wooster-area schools have developed the Virtual Learning Academy, operated through the Tri-County Educational Service Center. This program also helps students catch up if they have fallen behind during the regular academic year. For example, students who have failed a course can retake available sections to learn the required material at their own virtual pace. As students can complete their work anytime and at any location, they can work through the course material while participating in weekly and mandatory instructor check-ins to assess their progress.
Best of all, educators assert that students engaging in virtual courses are learning new definitions for precise and accurate work, as assignments that do not reach the required minimum standards must automatically be repeated by students. While the virtual programs are provided by the public schools' Educational Service Center, local public teachers Serve as a support system for students taking online courses. They meet with students during the one day a week allotted to specific subjects but communicate with them for the remainder of the week by computer.
Summer is undoubtedly a time for relaxation, but to keep your child's mind sharp, it should also be a time of learning!
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