A Positive Trend in Preventing Summer Learning Loss

“As more and more educators, policymakers and parents recognize this, summer learning programs are picking up steam. Such programs are a lot like after school programs -- in fact, many of them are after school programs that morph into summer programs once the final school bell sounds at the end of the year. They're at schools, YMCAs, houses of worship, science and community centers and elsewhere. They offer a mix of activities that include academics, sports and other physical activity; brain-challenges like rocketry and robotics; art and music; and much more.” Jodi Grant, Executive Director, Afterschool Alliance

The idea is catching on. More and more students are participating in summer programs which are slowly eradicating summer learning loss. Through fun and energetic artistic learn, students are returning to the classroom more prepared to recall as well as take on new information in school.

According to AfterSchoolAlliance.Org, the numbers in summer camp attendance is up.

Check out the facts:

·      33% of families report that at least one child participated in a summer learning program in summer 2013. This is up from 25% of families in summer 2009.

·      More than half of families (51%) surveyed in the spring of 2014 say they want their children to participate in a summer learning program this summer.

·      86% of parents support public funding. This is up from 83% in 2009 – a statistically significant increase. Additionally, fewer than 1 in 10 parents oppose public funding for summer learning opportunities. (http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/documents/Summer_Learning_Pager_2014.pdf)

The third stat is a vital one. The expense of summer or after-school care can be over-whelming to some families. Publicly funded program are beneficial and a necessity for students and families who want to truly invest in their child’s overall education, but do not have the means to do so.

The aim of YEAH8 is to give students a memorable experience in learning through active and engaging methods. We are positive that campers from YEAH8 will enter the classroom prepared for a phenomenal year of learning.
July 30, 2014 ~~~ p. sanders

Everybody Move it! The necessity of movement in Arts programs.

“James Catterall, professor emeritus at UCLA, says his 12-year study of 12,000 kids found that arts education helps lift academic achievement, especially for children living in poverty.” NPR Radio.

Somewhere along the way, America lost its focus on the child and pointed it towards achievement. This positioning took out of frame the key elements that most students elementary through high school look forward to, art, music, dance and drama. There could be no room for such trivial matters when the goal was achieving projected goals in standardized testing.

“The day the music died.”

Suddenly, educators like James Catterall started to take notice of one main factor, kids love color, creating, movement, dress up…they are after all children.

And thus slowly we see a new surge of specials and electives taking children back into the creative over grown too-long ignored pathways to color, sight and sound.

Elena Aguilar addressed art in the educator’s magazine Edutopia in this manner, “The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution, that there are many ways to see and interpret the world, and that the limits of language do not define the limits of our cognition.”

Children need art in order to be expressive, to problem solve, to invent. There are components of art that may not be present in math, history or even English and Science. There are moments when students need a full on art moment, where their work is subjectively observed, where it affects each observer differently and personal.

I went out into the community of teaching artist, to get their take on kids and the arts. It was an enlightening moment.

First, I reached out to JuNene, dancer, singer, actor and mother extraordinaire and owner of Perpetual Motion Dance and Performing Arts Studio in Dallas, Texas. I asked her why movement is so important to a child’s development and she responded, “It's actually a part of my dance packet. Rhythmic movement helps stimulate brain function which allows a child to organize thoughts and behaviors. It also helps deal with emotions. Everything in life has a beat. Once a child learns how to identify that beat and understand that rhythm of whatever particular instance in life,  he will be more adept in handling not only his own emotions but also become proficient at processing other's emotions in a non-conflicting way. Simply put, allow a child the chance to dance around on the floor and ultimately keep him out of the ground or from behind bars.”

Organizing thoughts and behaviors go hand in hand with academic achievement. When students are able to focus and organize their thoughts they are also able to map out conclusions or consequences. Ideas are developed and actions, especially those that may have a negative result, are avoided. All of this outcome could be attributed to the acquisition of learning rhythmic movement. Brilliant!

However, I wanted a second perspective on movement and its effect on students so I went to LaRome Armstrong, filmmaker, teacher, dancer and choreographer, who lovingly and patiently works very well with challenging children and sometimes, adults. I posed the same question: Why is movement so important to young people. Mr. Armstrong gladly responded, “Movement is essential to learning because it provides new information into our learning social networks. It allows self-expression, memory skills, concentration, social interaction, [while it also] enhances fine motor skills, coordination and motivates self-esteem for children of all ages and walks of life. The rhythmic movement process is always present when movement is taking place even when walking. Every time we move in an organized manner, full brain activation occurs which allows learning to take place. Movement facilitates the development of increased blood vessels that make learning essential no matter what age, such elements as water, oxygen and nutrients pass through the brain. Movement also improves bone strength for life; plus it enhances the immune system and reduces the chance of having type 2 diabetes. Moreover, movement has been known to increase attention span in primary and secondary school for children. Finally, movement is Scientific as a byproduct of Dance, Sports, Cheerleading, and Exercise because it is interconnected to physics, chemistry, biology and math. SO EVERYBODY MOVE IT!”

With arts being re-introduced into many schools across the country, we need to understand how essential self-expression is to students as well as how it will be a life-long benefit for students. Yes, they need to focus on the core subjects, there is no dismissing this factor, however, students, similar to adults need an outlet to maintain the ability to be creative, to be free to move and color their world, to build and to dream. There is no need to question why movement or any of the arts are important in an after-school or summer camp program, other than, we can we see the final product? 

 “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”~~~Pablo Picasso

July 21, 2014 ~~ p.sanders

What is STEM and Why it’s Important for Our Kids Future

A new buzz word in education and the world of academia is “STEM”…but many parents wonder, what exactly does it mean and how does this affect my child’s education.

A great question and glad you asked! Noted on STEMgrants.com:

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  Recent studies have shown that America’s students are falling behind in STEM disciplines and are also far less interested in STEM than their international peers. This can be evidenced by a report entitled “Prepare and Inspire: K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for America’s Future” that was issued in September, 2010 by the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology.  This reports cites the following facts:

* On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, less than one-third of U.S. eighth graders show proficiency in mathematics and science.

* Only about a third of bachelor’s degrees earned in the United States are in a STEM field, compared with approximately 53 percent of first university degrees earned in China, and 63 percent of those earned in Japan.

* More than half of the science and engineering graduate students in U.S. universities are from outside the United States.

Suddenly, the ears of education perked up and STEM programs were initiated and underway in US schools almost immediately. But the question remains, why are our 8^th graders falling behind? Randi Weingarten offers this idea in an article in the Washington Post (12/13):

“While the intentions may have been good, a decade of top-down, test-based schooling created by No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top — focused on hyper-testing students, sanctioning teachers and closing schools — has failed to improve the quality of American public education,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.”

Thus it becomes clear as glass. Testing and more testing, penalizing schools and teachers has taken all of the attention off of the most important component: the student. While principals haggle their teachers to push the standards only noted on the test and the state pushes principals to push teachers; who is pushing the students in the classroom? Are then being challenged at school? Are they being challenged at home? Are parents demanding that their students be taught well and not taught to be test takers?

ITS ABOUT THE KIDS!

A 14 year old can be pretty self-sufficient. Waking up on their own, preparing their own breakfast, making their way to school on their own, it’s a sign of growing up. However, parents, they are NOT mini adults and eyes over the shoulder are still needed, a parental presence in their life and in their classroom IS needed.

I propose that by maintaining a strict interest in our adolescent and young adults until the day they walk across the stage is imperative. Utilize the online grading system provided my most schools to check on your students’ progress. Voice your concerns about lagging grades to the teacher and if your concerns aren't heard move up to the administration and talk to them. Hold your school accountable, not just for preparing your child to pass a state test but passing the major test of living and working in a world with a rapidly changing global economy. Parents Make Some Noise!

STEM is vital, but encouraging our student to do their very best and expecting their teachers to provide outstanding life-long lesson is just as valuable. What good is a school with an outstanding STEM program if in the end, seniors graduate from high school only to find themselves in remedial college classes trying to catch up with their cohorts?

Does your child school have a STEM program? Find out exactly how they are implementing the program, how it benefits your student beyond just taking a test, ask: HOW WILL THIS HELP MY CHILD’S FUTURE?

   
                                                       
Paula Sanders
Dallas, Texas

Say, Yes to summer learning through Summer Camps

   Time Magazine provides an interesting history of our beloved summer break: “In the decades before the Civil War, schools operated on one of two calendars, neither of which included a summer hiatus. Rural schooling was divided into summer and winter terms, leaving kids free to pitch in with the spring planting and fall harvest seasons. Urban students, meanwhile, regularly endured as many as 48 weeks of study a year, with one break per quarter.”

  Conversely, times have definitely changed. Instead of bringing in a harvest parents spend savings on vacations to themed parks, far away tropical family get-aways or family reunions. Summer is a wonderful opportunity to family bonding, however, during those down times, when Mom and Dad are working and the kids need a place to stay, the summer camp hunt begins.

  There are a plethora of offerings out there, film and animation, robotics, sports and other special interests. It’s easy to choose your child’s favorite subject, spend a few hundred dollars and drop them off in the hands of creative caregivers who will engage and educate them in a safe environment while the parents go about their normal work routine.

 These lucky children are not only having fun and meeting new friends and learning new techniques in whatever their interest may be, they are also thwarting of the teacher dreaded summer learning loss factor.

According to the National Summer Learning Association, “All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer.” (White, 1906; Heyns, 1978; Entwisle & Alexander 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al, 2004)

  YEAH 8 is dedicated to providing a well-rounded summer experience for our young people. Students are engaged and learning in fun and creative environments as well as letting off steam through physical movement including dance and sports. It is always easier and cheaper to allow children to stay around the house and play video games or lose themselves in social media whirlwinds of teen-aged fueled drama. 

However, summer camps are an investment, not just for a place to put the kids during the workday, but for hope and a chance for a better academic future when school is in session in the fall.

Paula Sanders 

Dallas, Texas