{"id":34132,"date":"2021-06-24T06:00:24","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T11:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/?p=34132"},"modified":"2021-06-23T19:31:26","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T00:31:26","slug":"oklahoma-schools-boost-summer-offerings-to-combat-negative-effects-of-covid-19-on-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/2021\/06\/24\/oklahoma-schools-boost-summer-offerings-to-combat-negative-effects-of-covid-19-on-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma schools boost summer offerings to combat negative effects of COVID-19 on learning"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 100%; height: 170px; margin-bottom: 20px; border-radius: 10px; overflow: hidden;\"><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 170px;\" src=\"https:\/\/player.captivate.fm\/episode\/6ec95dd1-5017-4a4f-a522-dfb4a1f59dcc\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kindergartners don\u2019t normally go to summer school.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But at Highland Park Elementary in Stillwater, a gaggle of them are in Summer Morris\u2019 kindergarten class as part of the district\u2019s Summer Academy program. The lesson is simple: Follow directions and work at a similar pace to your classmates while drawing a picture.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cStay with me,\u201d Morris tells the students. \u201cDon\u2019t try to get ahead of me.\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s the kind of thing these students would be working on in early fall during a normal school year. But last fall was anything but normal for these kindergarten students.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stillwater Public Schools &#8211; like practically every district in the country &#8211; struggled to stay open and was cautious when it came to coming back to in-person learning. That meant it was time to expand offerings with the Summer Academy.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And the strategy, Morris said, is simple.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe make learning fun and they think they&#8217;re playing games and they think they&#8217;re singing and dancing,\u201d Morris said. \u201cBut what they&#8217;re really doing is learning the alphabet and learning how to rhyme and learning how to count syllables and learning how to cooperate together in groups.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Summer in Stillwater<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stillwater has opened up its Summer Academy to each grade level and is hosting students at multiple sites. That\u2019s led to more than a tripling in enrollment among elementary students, said Arryn Small, an administrator for Stillwater\u2019s Summer Academy elementary programs.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a normal year third graders are the youngest students in summer school. This year, students who were really struggling were asked to come to summer school. But any student could take part.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSo any of those parents that felt like my kid had just really missed a lot this year and I really want to get them to where they need to be before next school year starts, they got to come too,\u201d Small said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The curriculum is different. There\u2019s a lot of reinforcement and review of topics that might have been covered during a time of distance learning over the previous school year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teachers are relying on assessments in topics like math &#8211; where Small said students are struggling particularly &#8211; to shape the summer curriculum.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe&#8217;ve shared data with our teachers to let them know where those gaps are so that the teachers here at Summer Academy can meet the students\u2019 needs exactly where they are and see what gaps they need to fill,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the high school level, things are looking a little different, said Trent Swanson, principal of Lincoln Alternative Academy.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Credit recovery is still the main goal at the secondary level. But, many more students need to recover credits after failing a class. So there\u2019s a doubling in students participating and programs have moved to Stillwater High and Middle Schools instead of being held at the alternative school.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, classes that would normally be offered online aren\u2019t this year.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cLet&#8217;s get kids back in school,\u201d Swanson said. \u201cLet&#8217;s get back to in-person learning. Let&#8217;s get back to getting the kids engaged.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_34134\"  class=\"wp-caption module image aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 672px;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-34134\" src=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/06\/IMG_7531-3-672x482.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"672\" height=\"482\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/06\/IMG_7531-3-672x482.jpeg 672w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/06\/IMG_7531-3-1920x1378.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/06\/IMG_7531-3-768x551.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/06\/IMG_7531-3-150x108.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/06\/IMG_7531-3-300x215.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/06\/IMG_7531-3-620x445.jpeg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/files\/2021\/06\/IMG_7531-3-1505x1080.jpeg 1505w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 672px) 100vw, 672px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Robby Korth \/ StateImpact Oklahoma<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">State schools superintendent Joy Hofmeister addresses the media at an event announcing the state&#8217;s summer initiatives in May.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><b>Summer learning across Oklahoma<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oklahoma\u2019s State Department of Education is unsure of how many students are taking part in summer programming. But there has definitely been an increase and emphasis on recovery here and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/us-news-coronavirus-pandemic-education-health-a0416b3d43e08f49879b0f0e93010113\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nationally<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister has pushed for summer programs. The state has vowed to invest $14 million into them.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAnd so our kickoff and our real hefty boost is to try to make the most of this summer with strong strategic planning for the fall and into the next,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The need is greater than ever, she said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe arguably face the greatest challenge in education in modern history,\u201d Hofmeister said. \u201cAnd that is, how do we ensure that our kids will rebound from the pandemic stronger than ever?\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That question can be answered in a variety of ways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tulsa Public Schools, for example, has about 10,000 students enrolled in its summer program, compared to only 5,000 in summer 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe just believe there\u2019s an urgent need for restorative and meaningful summer experiences,\u201d Tulsa\u2019s Chief Learning Officer Ebony Johnson said during a national panel earlier this month.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National observers have praised Tulsa\u2019s approach, which includes a month of programming in July where every student in the district can go to their school to recover from the lost year.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe\u2019ve committed, in an unprecedented way, to investing in our young people and doing that this summer in a way that we\u2019ve not done before,\u201d Johnson said.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s a commitment a number of other districts have made as well.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rural districts face similar challenges, said Kyle Reynolds, superintendent of Woodward Public Schools.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though most Woodward students were in person for the school year, quarantines and isolations were common.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Summer plans will be run through the district&#8217;s Boomer Extreme afterschool program (the high school mascot is the Boomers). <\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will include partnerships with the Woodward County <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/extension.okstate.edu\/county\/woodward\/index.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extension Office<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hptc.edu\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High Plains Technology Center<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and even local yoga instructors. The emphasis will be on fun activities. The goal is to re-socialize kids while throwing in a little education here and there. It will include field trips to places like the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencemuseumok.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Science Museum of Oklahoma<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in OKC and a trip to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.travelok.com\/state-parks\/alabaster-caverns-state-park\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alabaster Caverns<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOur students, our teachers, our parents, our community of all felt these pressure points both physically and emotionally during the last year,\u201d he said. \u201cNow is the time for healing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>A flash in the pan or a new summer strategy?<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s hard to say what future summers could look like in Stillwater and beyond.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Federal funding will be available for the next three summers as the American Rescue Plan and Cares Act funding won\u2019t run out until 2023.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both Small and Swanson &#8211; key leaders of Stillwater\u2019s efforts &#8211; said they will reassess the effectiveness of the summer programming in the fall.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But just a few short weeks in, it\u2019s already proving popular.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think this is something that city of Stillwater, the citizens, the parents that they&#8217;ve asked for,\u201d Swanson said. \u201cEspecially coming out of covid, with missing so much school, it&#8217;s an opportunity for the kids.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kindergartners don\u2019t normally go to summer school.But at Highland Park Elementary in Stillwater, a gaggle of them are in Summer Morris\u2019 kindergarten class as part of the district\u2019s Summer Academy program. The lesson is simple: Follow directions and work at a similar pace to your classmates while drawing a picture.\u201cStay with me,\u201d Morris tells the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":209,"featured_media":34133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17,23],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34132"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/209"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34132"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34138,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34132\/revisions\/34138"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/oklahoma\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}