Why Are K-12 Students Not Showing Up for Summer Programming?

By Aziah Siid | Word In Black (WIB) – Study after study has found that summer programming, along with high-intensity tutoring,  is the most effective way to help K-12 students recover from pandemic-era learning loss. It’s deemed so important the Biden administration has made quality summer learning a goal for school systems nationwide. But a new survey finds that, although more than 80% of all school districts offered summer learning in 2023, less than half of eligible students took advantage of programs that could help them catch up. RELATED:& Want to Stop Learning Loss? Send Your Kid to& Summer& Camp At the same time, the survey found fewer than one in five school districts’ largest elementary summer programs met the minimum recommended hours of academic instruction, and about 40% of schools expect funding cuts for this year’s summer classes. “To reach a majority of academically struggling students, districts’ summer programs will need to significantly increase enrollment. This is no simple task,” according to the study conducted by RAND Corporation, a nonprofit public policy think tank. “Even the largest summer programs that were expressly for students performing below grade level or students who needed to recover academic credits still enrolled less...