Summer Programs Are Helping Students Turn the Page on COVID-19

Cheers erupted around the classroom at Faison Academy K-5 as 15-year-old Dorian Cole handed small cups of ice cream to second and third graders who were waving their arms in the air.

Cole was busy wheeling carts of ice cream to classrooms full of eager children, but delivering treats is far from his only responsibility at the school. He is taking advantage of a partnership between Summer BOOST, Pittsburgh Public School’s new summer enrichment program, and Learn & Earn, which connects students in Allegheny County with paid work-based learning opportunities.

Since the start of July, Cole has spent his time at Summer BOOST helping the teachers with classroom duties and assisting students with their work. Attentive to detail and always willing to pitch in, teachers say Cole has already become a valued member of the Faison team. Cole is hoping that this real-world career experience will help him on his path to pursuing a career in engineering.

Cole’s experience is not typical for summer school. But that’s the idea. 

“Historically, summer school has been viewed as a punishment. Something that you are forced to go to. It was remedial,” said Aaron Dworkin, chief executive officer of the National Summer Learning Association. 

Now, schools across the country are taking a different approach in order to help students push through the ongoing pandemic and prepare for a new academic year. They also have an unprecedented influx of funding through the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. 

Summer BOOST, which more than 2,000 Pittsburgh Public School students are attending this year, is just one example of the types of innovative summer learning programs that schools and community partners have newly designed to support students after this challenging year.

“We want kids to come out of the program feeling better about themselves, number one socially and emotionally, but academically as well,” said Anthony Hamlet, the superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools. “We’ve gone through something traumatic over the course of this particular year, and so we’re looking at the holistic needs of children and balancing that with the academics.”

Across the country, these summer programs are helping students turn the page on COVID-19—whether it’s helping students develop the academic and social-emotional skills they need to confidently resume in-person classes in the fall or helping them prepare for life after high school.

For 15-year-old Mo Longo, being back among his peers at Summer BOOST’s Obama Academy site felt “almost alien” after being remote for so long. The summer learning program is a place to collect his thoughts and get ready for next year. 

“It provides a good environment for me to kind of get back into the motion of hanging out with people who aren't my family,” Longo said.

Like Longo, many of the students attending Summer BOOST had not been inside a classroom with their peers since before the pandemic. For these students, spending time with classmates and processing the pandemic is just as important for preparing for in-person school in the fall as catching up on math and reading.

For middle and high school students attending Summer BOOST, mornings start with breakfast, followed by dedicated time for academic support and social-emotional learning.

Sometimes academics and SEL are intertwined. One educator used an upcoming group science project to ask students their thoughts about group dynamics and working collaboratively with others. 

“Being aware of each other’s emotions, paying attention, and making sure everyone is incorporated in what we’re doing,” replied Qusiemah Brown, who is 17. “That’s the most important part.”

It’s an especially relevant lesson for students readjusting to collaborative work after months of remote learning.

For 16-year-old Ryan Harrison, being around peers at Summer BOOST was essential for “getting back into the swing of things.” Harrison had just enjoyed a morning discussing current events with his classmates, including the protests in Cuba. It was a safe space to have healthy debates with students his age. It helps that there’s a reward system at Summer BOOST, Harrison said, which “teaches kids to be nice to each other.”

“I feel like if I hadn't gone to Summer BOOST, going back to school would be a huge shock, anxiety and all that.”

Social isolation wasn’t the only challenge students experienced during COVID-19 lockdowns. During the pandemic, some high school students had to help their families make ends meet by taking part-time jobs—sometimes logging in for remote learning and working at fast-food restaurants or other businesses at the same time. 

“A good percentage of low-income families have been heavily affected by the pandemic, whether it's food, housing, income,” said Adam Andrawes, 16, a student who saw firsthand the toll that the pandemic took on students in his community. 

But this summer, Andrawes and his peers have been able to focus on a brighter future all while earning money at Summer High School U, a summer program developed through partnerships with the Neighborhood Learning Alliance, Learn & Earn, Pittsburgh Public Schools, and other organizations. 

Students in the program are paid to take first-year college courses at campuses in Pittsburgh. They earn $7.25 an hour for both their time attending college and for their time working at their worksite placement. Students also earn transferable college credits for the classes they complete, making college more affordable. 

“I think it's a very innovative program that should be, in my opinion, spread nationwide, especially to low-income communities,” Andrawes said.

Having a taste of the college experience through Summer High School U has given Ciara Gordon, 18, a lot to look forward to this fall—especially after a less than ideal end of high school. She spent half of her junior year and her entire senior year learning remotely.

The program caters to students from low-income communities and students of color who may not have considered going to college, said Deb Smallwood, a program coordinator for the Neighborhood Learning Alliance. “The idea was to give them the opportunity to take a college class while still in high school to show them that this is something that they could do.”

The program is far from easy. “The professors don't scale back on the syllabus and, of course, the curriculum at all,” Smallwood said. “The kids are amazing. It's great to watch and to see them grow."

This confidence-boosting exposure can make all of the difference in a student’s trajectory. But Summer High School U also opens doors by eliminating the common barriers to entry that prevent students from taking advantage of these innovative summer programs in the first place.

Summer High School U doesn’t just cover the cost of the college classes, it also provides textbooks and a weekly bus pass for each student.

“They give us so many opportunities,” said Guillermo Harris, 17, who is pursuing a career in animation and video game design. “Not just the class, not just the worksite, but they also give us transportation. They just make it so that all we have to worry about is our class and our worksite.” 

“It's so important,” he added. “I just really appreciate it."

We want to hear your opinions! To submit an idea for an Opinion piece or offer feedback on this story, visit our Suggestion Box.