The COVID-19 Slide and the Future of Summer Learning
Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2020, 3:00 p.m. (ET)
A recent NWEA report,
The COVID-19 slide: What summer learning loss can tell us about the potential impact of school closures on student academic achievement, confirms that “achievement typically slows or declines over the summer months with generally steeper declines for math than for reading, and the extent (proportionally) of loss increases in the upper grades.” Their report projects that with the COVID-19 crisis, students may return in Fall 2020 with roughly 70% of the learning gains in reading relative to a typical school year, less than 50% of the learning gains in math, and in some grades, nearly a full year behind what we would observe in normal conditions.
This coming summer will be more important than ever in helping kids recover from the current crisis. Join us for a webinar with the report authors, Beth Tarasawa and Megan Kuhfeld, who will present their findings. We will also be joined by NSLA founder, Matthew Boulay, and Karl Alexander, Professor Emeritus of Johns Hopkins University, for a discussion on what the current educational circumstances mean for the measurement and evaluation of academic outcomes, how we might address the needs of the most vulnerable youth, and what may be needed for next school year and summer 2021.
Making Summer Youth Employment Work
Date: Thursday, May 7, 2020, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Each year, thousands of youth gain valuable experience working through Summer Youth Employment Programs (SYEP) around the country. These programs have the power to transforms the lives of young people, particularly for undeserved youth. SYEP are more than just a paycheck. Through these jobs, young people receive job training, life skills, career development, and a positive use of time. But many SYEPs are closing or struggling to stay open this summer. Join us May 7 at 2 pm ET for a webinar to discuss strategies some communities are using to keep their SYEP going. We’ll be joined by programs from Charlotte, NC and Boston, MA who will share how they are tackling youth employment this summer. We’ll also hear from LinkedIn Learning on how their online platform can be used to support student skill-building.