How Education Decision-Makers are Maximizing Summer to Accelerate Learning Recovery

“We’re encouraging states to start thinking about relegating this work of summer learning into the structure of the State Education Agency (SEA) because, rather than having this be something that we work on for the short term, we want it to become a natural conversation among SEA members building state strategic plans as they think about the long-term importance of this work.”

This point made by Kathleen Airhart, Ed.D., of the Council of Chief State School Officers in this week’s GLR Learning Tuesdays panel captures the heart of the discussion among state-level leaders about How Education Decision-Makers Are Maximizing Summer to Accelerate Learning Recovery. Moderated by Polly Singh of the Wallace Foundation, the discussion explored how SEAs are using billions of federal recovery dollars to fund local education agencies, build community partnerships and provide professional development to prioritize summer learning – especially in communities hardest hit by the pandemic. In case you missed this opportunity to learn and engage, links to the recording and other materials can be accessed here on CLIP, with links to additional resources included below.

Singh began the discussion by sharing an overview of the Wallace Foundation’s extensive support for summer learning and their backing of up-to-date research and resources, including the National Summer Learning Project and Toolkit, along with the foundation’s investment in state-level work to expand summer learning. She then engaged Airhart and Aaron Dworkin of the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) in an exploration of their new partnership, the State Summer Learning Network, which is designed to inform state-level efforts by providing NSLA’s expert training and technical assistance to SEA leaders in “building state strategic plans” for summer learning, as quoted by Airhart above. Melissa Castillo, Ed.D., and Dawn Fitzhugh of the Arizona Department of Education and Brian Doran of the Texas Education Agency, two states at the forefront of prioritizing summer learning, joined the discussion and reviewed what a major state investment in summer learning looks like on the ground in districts and communities across their states. Through in-depth professional development for teachers, directed outreach to families and high-quality instructional materials, they ensure equitable access to summer learning activities that bolster academic and social-emotional development.

Panel

Moderator Polly Singh Senior Program Officer Wallace Foundation

Panelist Kathleen Airhart Program Director, Special Education Outcomes Council of Chief State School Officers

Panelist Aaron Dworkin Chief Executive Officer National Summer Learning Association

Panelist Melissa Castillo Assoc. Superintendent of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Arizona Department of Education

Panelist Brian Doran Director of Expanded Learning Models Texas Education Agency

Panelist Dawn Fitzhugh Summer Learning Coordinator Arizona Department of Education