An increasing number of schools in Georgia want kids to stay connected to the classroom and have launched or expanded summer school offerings aimed at stemming the learning loss students often experience over the break.
It's part of an effort by educators to emphasize summer school is not just a time for remedial work but also a key opportunity for students to get ahead academically as schools grapple with more rigorous Common Core standards and accountability requirements.
"It's really transforming how the school year is happening," said Katie Willse, chief program officer with the National Summer Learning Association. "We are seeing schools running summer programs both for kids who need it because they've fallen behind but also offering it more broadly to their student population for the enrichment."
Some parents are pushing back, arguing kids already work hard and feel pressured during the school year and shouldn’t be expected to spend significant time with their noses in books or completing online courses.
Educators acknowledge there should be a balance of academic work and leisure activities for students, but say summer has become too important for development and students shouldn’t totally disconnect from school.
"Districts are more concerned about that summer slide than they used to be because, quite honestly, there's not a lot of extra time in the school year," said Martha Reichrath, deputy state superintendent for curriculum, instruction, assessment and accountability for Georgia Department of Education.
“We’ve seen some diminishment of the number of days that our districts have for instruction in some cases. So they are concerned about the increased rigor, the higher expectations, the new landscape for assessment, which is going to certainly require more critical thinking.”
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