Summer school on the chopping block: is teacher quality the reason it doesn't seem to help kids?

See all posts on summer school.


We seem to be assuming that failure is inevitable for the legions of kids who end up dropping out. Why has no one questioned the QUALITY of summer school instruction? We do NOT give those coveted summer school positions to the best teachers, we give them to the most senior teachers. If the best teachers were given these jobs, maybe summer school would be an effective means of boosting student achievement.

Summer School Back on the Chopping Block
March 25, 2011
by Emily Alpert

Last year I wrote about how San Diego Unified was at risk of cutting back on summer school, weakening an already limited lifeline for kids who slide behind.

The school board ultimately voted to keep the program intact last year. But now summer school is on the chopping block again. Money earmarked for summer school went to plug budget holes; stimulus money that helped pay for summer school last year dried up.

Providing summer classes for students at risk of being held back in first, third and eighth grade, and all high schoolers who need to make up credits would cost $2.6 million. San Diego Unified has only $1.14 million to spend, so district staff recommends paring back on summer school for high schoolers short of their senior year.

That would mean that only an estimated 170 high schoolers would have a shot at summer school, compared to more than 5,800 high school students who took it last year. Here's what I wrote last year about the risks of cutting summer school for teens:

Roughly 12 percent of high schoolers relied on summer school to boost their grades last year. Freshmen in summer school saw the biggest gains, upping their average grades by half a letter grade. That's the difference between a D+ average and a C; the difference between staying on track to graduate or not.

Summer school isn't perfect. It's underused and inconsistent even when budgets are flush. Last year, our analysis found that the neediest kids are unlikely to enroll and become less and less likely to go every year. Summer jobs and family demands pull many failing students away. One in three students who went to summer school didn't improve their grades at all, we found:

But unless San Diego Unified comes up with a similar plan to offset the lost chance to turn things around for teens, trimming summer school may only exacerbate some of its existing weaknesses. It will only reach seniors at the last minute, instead of helping troubled freshmen set their report cards right. Delaying chances to make up classes for failing high schoolers will hurt kids who are already the most likely to drop out — and who need help fast to turn things around.

Studies from Chicago have found that freshman year failure is an extremely accurate predictor of whether a child will drop out, but if a student makes up classes by sophomore year, their odds of graduating improve. Cutting summer school gives failing freshman one less option. ... And while San Diego Unified may still offer summer school to struggling seniors, a single summer usually can't bail out kids with extremely low grades. Three out of four high schoolers with a D average who went to summer school last year left with their grades still at or below a D average and well below the C average needed to get a diploma...


COMMENTS
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deBeck posted at 9:31 pm on Fri, Mar 25, 2011.
deBeck Posts: 368

Interestingly enough there is no LOCAL evidence that summer school raises student achievement (based on national tests) It does allow students who have failed to continue on in a process we can easily lable as social promotion. I include the makeup courses for CREDIT SHORT seniors when I say this. The data I obtained about this situation about a year ago showed that summer school students who were far below basic, were highly likely to pass summer school and very likely to move on to ANOTHER YEAR of being far below basic in the next grade. This was standard data from the School District's own records. A few kid benefit, but the data show that summer school, despite its popularity, is ineffective. Of course the teachers love summer jobs at pro rata pay. The cost effectiveness makes this cut a no brainer.



...Maura Larkins posted at 9:54 am on Sat, Mar 26, 2011.
Maura Larkins Posts: 70

We seem to be assuming that failure is inevitable for the legions of kids who end up dropping out. Why has no one questioned the QUALITY of summer school instruction? We do NOT give those coveted summer school positions to the best teachers, we give them to the most senior teachers. If the best teachers were given these jobs, maybe summer school would be an effective means of boosting student achievement.



...Frances O'Neill Zimmerman posted at 10:44 am on Sat, Mar 26, 2011.
Frances O'Neill Zimmerman Posts: 352

Once again, Mr. deBeck speaks the truth. Summer school does offer employment for teachers and administrators and possible enrichment for regular students -- or a way to "get ahead or or get some unpleasant (courses) over with quickly," as mentioned above. But for underperforming students who are at risk of not having enough credits to graduate? Nada. I once taught summer school and saw many such students in the seats, getting to know cute classmates of the opposite sex and not doing an ounce of work. Summer school is an expensive luxury for these hard times, probably best restricted this year to the 170 hard cases who may benefit from it.



Maura Larkins:

A really good teacher can get underperforming students interested in learning. It's not in our interest as a society to allow a huge and growing percentage of our children to choose failure. It's our responsibility to see that all those who are able to learn get an education, and we shouldn't shift this responsibility to our expanding population of disconnected children.

Maura Larkins:

To John De Beck: I want to make clear that there is, of course, significant overlap between the most senior teachers and the best teachers. Experience is extremely beneficial to teachers who are in a learning mode. I hope I didn't make you feel insulted as a teacher who has taught summer school. I trust you agree that summer school teachers, just like the teachers who avoid layoffs, are chosen based on seniority.