Will Your Child Be Learning This Summer?

Introduction

The pandemic not only devastated life as we once knew it to be, but it also ravaged systems of education. When schools abruptly closed in March 2020 and moved to a virtual instructional delivery system of learning, many students failed to keep pace. A lot of learners could not keep up because they did not have devices or internet connectivity. Those whose families were consumed by the grief of the health crisis did not prioritize education as important for some time. Some parents did not hold their children accountable for attending online classes with a high level of regularity.

The education of many students was simply disrupted. Teachers were forced to quickly master all virtual protocols associated with learning and instruction with little room for error. No matter how well students performed before the spread of the coronavirus, many suffered because of so many shifts from online, hybrid, and in-person learning. The loss of social contacts contributed to the development of academic deficits among students too many to number. Mental health struggles also contributed to the problems students had.

The pandemic caused major problems for many students.

An Academic Crisis

Students adversely impacted by the results of all the educational disruptions are now victims of a growing and far-reaching problem. I have exclusively named this phenomenon

“the covid learning gap”

in many stories that I have published. This refers to the student performance disparities that have begun to emerge due to the school disruptions and changes that occurred during the pandemic. Sadly, many students everywhere now have gaps in their learning and are not performing at grade level.

I offered recommendations for school leaders to utilize to combat the covid learning gap in the article below.

However, educational leaders attune to this growing problem, regardless of the name they have given it, have already begun to work aggressively to resolve it among their impacted students. Here are some of the ways schools have been responding to the covid learning gap:

1. Many schools have developed summer programs and have invited students who have regressed academically to participate.
2. Teachers have relied on performance data to help develop individualized summer supports for students. Prescriptive learning packets and online activities have been developed for targeted students to use at home.
3. Summer enrichment programs have also been developed so that students will regain the social and personal balance that was lost when traditional in-person schools were closed. These structured programs are designed to help students develop and have fun with their peers.
4. Traditional summer school programs have been organized on a wider scale to reach students who need more academic supports.

Educators are commended for their efforts in meeting students where their learning deficits are and working hard to provide interventions and supports for them so that they will grow academically.

Despite all the efforts educators not only did to keep students engaged in quality learning throughout the pandemic and what they are doing the help students during the summer months, much more is required.

How Will Parents Take Charge of Their Child’s Learning This Summer?

Parents hold the key to helping their students make the steady progress that they need to achieve academic success. If the parents of students who need extra assistance fail to take advantage of the supplemental educational and developmental offerings that schools are providing for the summer, their children will lag further and further behind. This will pose greater challenges as they enter the new school year.

Parents have a huge part to play in their child’s growth as a learner. Despite any inconsistencies in their participation as an engaged students while virtual or hybrid programs were in session during the regular school year, they either have a chance to recoup the knowledge that was lost or they have a chance to learn what they failed to learn. Simply stated, all the special and creative educational events that schools are providing are for the students who require extra assistance.

We all know that summer is typically a wonderful time for students young and old to have fun with family and friends. However, some of the fun must be set aside so that some structured time is devoted to learning.

As a family engagement influencer, I must speak my truth some of the time. In doing so, I must state that some of the students who are in a desperate situation academically are in the position that they are because of poor parenting throughout the school year. Unfortunately, some parents did not hold their children accountable for participating in virtual learning nor did they make sure that they consistently attended their online classes.

While these parenting mistakes were made, the summer months will be a perfect time for mothers and fathers to right their wrongs by providing educational support for their children by arranging for them to participate in school-related activities.

Here are some suggestions that these parents can use to get their children involved in these targeted school-related programs.

1. Parents must position themselves as being the adult who is in charge within their household.
2. They must place a high value on education within their home.
3. The parents must develop a schedule for their children to follow that includes participating in the learning activities and having fun.
4. Parents must stick to the schedule and help their children become responsible for sticking to the schedule.
5. Parents need to celebrate the success of their children as they participate in the summer educational programs.
6. Parents must remember that there are people within the community who will help them as they hold their children accountable for remaining involved in the summer activities. Here are some of the people they can turn to for help:

• teachers and principals;
• coaches;
• pastors, priests, and other faith-based leaders;
• family members and neighbors;
• behavior and mental health resource agency workers; and
• community mentors and partners.

Conclusion

Many schools are recognizing that the covid learning gap has harmed a lot of students. Regardless of the quality of instruction provided by teachers, all the school interruptions and changes in the way instruction was delivered to students have caused many to fall dreadfully behind.

Poor parenting has also been the reason why some students are not performing on grade level. More specifically, some parents did not monitor the learning of their children nor did they hold them accountable for remaining engaged in their online school programs.

Regardless of the reasons why students have become victims of the covid learning gap, school leaders have worked very hard in creating summer educational and enrichment programs to help students grow. If these programs are to fulfill the intended goal of increasing the academic performance of students that have been established by teachers and other educators, the parents of the students who need to be enrolled must do their part to get their children involved.

Parents must share in the responsibility of supporting their child’s overall development as a student.

Here is my video version of this message for parents.

“Parents, Make the Summer Count for Learning” video by Dr. Deborah M. Vereen on her “Ignite Family Engagement” YouTube Channel.

If you enjoyed this story and video, consider sharing them on your social media platforms. Also, please consider adding a tip to help fund my work to increase family engagement in education.

Thank you.

This story was originally published on Medium.com in Loud Updates.