Word: summering
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Dates: during 2000-2000
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Students across the country are now spending their endless summer much like their falls, winters and springs--at school. As part of the push for higher academic standards, at least 25% of school districts--and twice that number in poor, urban areas--mandate summer school for struggling students. In Miami, Chicago and St. Louis, more than 40% of students sweat through summer school. That's in addition to the growing number who enlist voluntarily. Public high school students in Portland are paying for summer courses. New Orleans has turned students away...
That school calendar dates back to the late 19th century, when family farms needed kids to till the fields in the summer. There have been periodic campaigns to lengthen the U.S. school year to match those of other nations (Israeli children attend class 215 days, Korean kids more than 220). But the U.S. has clung fast to 180 days of class time--and the full summer for lemonade stands and first kisses. But the sacred three-month hiatus may do more harm than good. Research shows that all children lose academic ground over the summer, scoring an average...
...Summer school has traditionally helped close the gap. In tight-knit classes staffed with veteran teachers, students polish the sort of basic reading and math skills that often trip them up during the year. In more than 85% of summer-school evaluations, students who attended summer classes outperformed those who did not, according to a study by University of Missouri psychology professor Harris Cooper. The benefits can be lasting: 85% of students who spent their sixth-grade summer in Chicago's program, with classes at 15 students maximum, will be promoted to high school this fall. "The intimidation factor...
That is, if the students show up. Some districts have been plagued by high numbers of absentees. In New York City, only 50% of high-schoolers scheduled for summer school have made an appearance--despite calls home from the superintendent's office. Those who do come to summer class are likely to find a change in focus. Because students in many cities must retake standardized exams at summer's end, those classes have morphed into all-day test-prep sessions. The merits of such cramming are unclear. Last summer only 40% of New York students who failed the city...
...intensive reading instruction. The shift paid off at test time. The four schools on the new calendar raised their scores, and one landed among the state's best performers. The longer year is so popular, reports principal JoAnn Bester Clay, that some parents and children want to abolish summer break. "I don't have a real vacation, since all I do is sit home," says sixth-grader La'Chet Henderson. "This gives me something...