Helping Kids Avoid the “Summer Slide”

FOR MANY CHILDREN. THE TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL YEAR TO SUMMER BREAK USUALLY MEANS THAT TEXTBOOKS AND CALCULATORS ARE PUT AWAY UNTIL THE FALL. BUT JUST BECAUSE CLASSES OUT DOESN'T MEAN THE LEARNING HAS TO STOP WGCUS EILEEN KELLY LOOKS AT THE SO-CALLED SUMMER SLIDE AND HOW PARENTS CAN HELP THEIR KIDS KEEP LEARNING THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. >> IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING, SUMMER SLIDE ISN'T THE LATEST TIKTOK DANCE TREND. NO. THE SUMMER SLIDE OR MAYBE YOU'VE HEARD IT CALLED THE SUMMER LOSS IS THE NOTION THAT SUMMER BREAK IS BAD FOR KIDS THAT ALL THOSE EFFORTS TO CLIMB ACADEMICALLY SLIDE DOWNWARD COMING JUNE EACH YEAR. SO COULD IT BE THAT SO MANY GAINS MADE DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR ARE LOST DURING SUMMER BREAK. YEAR AFTER YEAR, STUDY AFTER STUDY PREVIOUSLY POINTED TO THIS WITH END OF YEAR, TESTING VERSUS STARTED THE YEAR TEST. THOSE TESTS WILL BE UP SIGNIFICANT LOSSES. SOME STUDIES HAVE SAID THAT SCHOOLCHILDREN ACTUALLY LEAVES MONTHS WORTH OF LEARNING. BUT WHAT IF THE STUDIES ARE OUTDATED? WHAT OF SUMMER BREAK ISN'T SO BAD AFTER ALL. WHAT IF SUMMER BREAK IS A GOOD TIME TO NOURISH ONESELF WITH SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES. WHAT ABOUT LEARNING WITHOUT THE DRUDGERY OF ACTUALLY FEELING LIKE YOU'RE BACK IN SCHOOL, DR. PAUL MAN HIPPLE IS AN EDUCATION RESEARCHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. HE IS CHALLENGING THOSE SUMMER SLIDE AND SUMMER LOSS CLAIMS. I SAT DOWN RECENTLY FOR AN INTERVIEW ON ZOOM WITH HIM AND ASKED HIM WHAT IS HIS TAKE ON THE SUMMER SLIDE. THE EVIDENCE FOR THE SUMMER SLIDE IS NOT AS STRONG AS PEOPLE THINK IT IS. IT'S NOT AS CONSISTENT. >> AS PEOPLE SEEM TO THINK THERE ARE MANY STUDIES NOW THAT IT'S BEEN SUMMER LEARNING SOME FIND SIGNIFICANCE THEM OR LOSSES AND MANY DO NOT. SOME FIND THE CHILDREN GO SIDEWAYS OR EVEN GETTING A LITTLE BIT DURING THE SUMMER. AND THESE DIFFERENCES SEEM TO HAVE MORE TO DO WITH THE WAY THE TESTS ARE SCORED. THEN WITH ANYTHING STUDENTS ARE ACTUALLY LEARNING OR FORGETTING. SO I'VE STOPPED TALKING PERSONALLY ABOUT SUMMER LEARNING LOSS AND STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE SUMMER LEARNING OPPORTUNITY. >> NOW THAT SOUNDS PROMISING. SO I ASKED HIM TO TELL ME ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES. >> IF YOU WANT TO PICK UP AND THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND YOU'RE NOT BEEN BANNED ALREADY AT SCHOOL, THIS SUMMER CAN BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET STARTED ON THAT. IF YOU IF YOU HAVE, IF YOU HAVE INTERESTS THAT ARE THAT, ARI, ARI, THEY'RE NOT ADDRESSED BY YOUR SCHOOL. YOU DIDN'T HAPPEN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM. THIS SUMMER IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY. >> BUT WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN THAT ARE TRULY BEHIND THEIR PEERS THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR? VAUGHN HIPPLE TOLD ME THAT THE TRAIN OF THOUGHT WAS BLAMING IT ON SUMMER BREAK, BUT HE SAID THAT'S NOT THE ENTIRE PICTURE. EXPECIALLY. WHEN YOU TRACK CHILDREN WHO STARTED SCHOOL WELL BEHIND THEIR PEERS. >> THAT'S RIGHT. WHEN I FIRST STARTED DOING RESEARCH IN THIS AREA, THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE SAYING THAT MOST OF THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP BETWEEN KIDS WHO ARE BEHIND IN KIDS WHO ARE AHEAD. IT IS DUE TO SUMMER LEARNING LOSS. AND I NO LONGER THINK THAT'S TRUE. IT REALLY DOES SEEM TO BE THERE AT THE START OF KINDERGARTEN AND IT JUST TRACKS UNLESS STEPS ARE TAKEN TO TIE WITH GET 2 ARE BEHIND AND BECOME CAUGHT UP. >> SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THE TAKEAWAYS ARE IF YOUR CHILD END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR BEHIND SOME ARE IS A GOOD CHANCE TO TRY AND CORRECT THAT. AND 2, NO MATTER IF A YOUNGSTER IS ADVANCED OR BEHIND MAKE THE MOST OF THE SUMMER IMPORTANT. >> TO PUT SOME STRUCTURE IN TO ENSURE THAT YOUR CHILD IS SEEING OTHER CHILDREN SO THERE'S THERE'S SOCIAL ASPECT OF THE SUMMER AS WELL THAT THE SEEING OTHER CHILDREN THAT THERE DEVELOPING THEIR INTEREST AND HOBBIES THAT THEY'RE THAT THEY'RE CATCHING UP AND TOPICS WERE CAUSING TROUBLE FOR THEM IN THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR. IT'S NOT RIGHT. IT'S I THINK IT'S IT'S IMPORTANT TO SIT DOWN WITH YOUR CHILD AND TO FIND WHAT THEIR GOALS ARE FOR THE SUMMER AND SEE WHAT STEPS THAT ARE GOING TO TAKE TOWARD THOSE GOALS AND HAVE SOME WAY TO MONITOR IT. >> AND THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOUND ADVICE, TIKTOK OR NOT. WGCU NEWS IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA IN FOCUS. THIS IS EILEEN