You don’t have to stay in
the state of Michigan to find good research on the importance of summer
learning.
Surfing the Internet recently, I came across an interesting blog by
Sam Piha, a founder and principal with Temescal Associates, a California
consulting dedicated to building the capacity of leaders and organizations in
education and youth development who are serious about improving the lives of
young people.
Public Profit, an
evaluation and technical assistance firm, recently released findings on the benefits
that children gain from participating in summer educational programs across
California. Children in Michigan are no different from children on the West
Coast, so the findings are worth noting:
- Students ended the summer with vocabulary skills much closer to grade level
- Parents reported that their children improved their attitude toward reading (68 percent) and reading ability (62)
- Over 80 percent of parents reported that summer programs gave their children opportunities to develop leadership skills
- Field trips and community service programs in the summertime gave children new experiences and opportunities
- Summer programs broadened children’s horizons by exposing them to new adventures and skills
- Summer programs included a wide variety of activities that engaged many different subjects in fun and engaging ways and helped in skill building
- Summer programs fostered cooperative learning, healthy habits and lasted at least one month
Learning is a year-around
effort
To connect to Sam Piha’s
clog, click here.
To find more information
on summer camps, click here for a evaluation from Metro Parent Magazine, click
here. For the 28 best summer camps, via Hour Detroit Magazine, click here.
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