How to Keep the Learning Journey Going All Summer Long

Published July 10, 2024 on District Administration.

As educators, we understand the vital role family engagement plays in fostering student success. A recent Learning Heroes report revealed that “schools with stronger family engagement before the pandemic experienced better-than-expected attendance, achievement and school climate outcomes post-pandemic.”

Strikingly, the impact of robust pre-pandemic family engagement was comparable to “replacing over half of the prior school year with in-person instead of remote learning.”

These findings underscore that consistent communication and collaboration between schools and families are truly some of the strongest predictors of academic achievement and engagement, especially in the wake of the pivotal disruptions caused by COVID-19 which have left many students in need of additional learning recovery and support. In this era of persisting pandemic impacts, the summer months take on profound importance as an invaluable opportunity to reinforce core skills, explore new interests and maintain hard-earned academic momentum.

So how can we facilitate this continuity of learning and sustain family engagement throughout the summer? The answer lies in leveraging creative communication strategies to nurture students’ curiosity through low-lift, high-impact activities.

Establishing consistent two-way communication channels is key. Interactive platforms like video messaging, social media, e-newsletters and even physical mailers reinforce the benefits of daily attendance, highlight enrichment opportunities and resources and establish a connection that’s essential for keeping kids in school.

Read the full article on District Administration.