We have all seen the education reports that show that the United States scoring lower in math and reading. With each report comes a lot of discussion on how to improve math and reading scores in American schools. Almost all of those discussions omit what is perhaps the most important factor affecting education comparisons – the United States has the shortest school year of all of the industrialized nations. With few exceptions, most industrialized nations have year-round school.
All of the countries that rank highest in math and reading skills have year-round school years. We know for a fact that children who attend year-round schools typically have higher test scores and retention rates. For example, Japan offers year-round school and has a dropout rate of only 1.4%. To compete globally, American students need more time in school. For poor schools to properly service underperforming students, year-round learning is the most effective way to improve education outcomes. Headstart is important, but most of the gains of headstart are lost by the time the child reaches middle school.
Given the fast pace of public education, the typical 180 day school year does not afford enough time to effectively remediate students who are testing below grade average. Studies have shown that the #1 reason, students drop out of school is the feeling that they are too far behind to catch up. For a student who tests consistently below grade level, there is little chance of getting the extra help needed to catch up in the middle of taking all of the required classes. NSABA’s Summer Essentials Academy gives the child a summer of “catching up” with a qualified learning coach.
Summer Essential Academy is a 10-week summer learning program that focuses on core math and reading skills. Our goal is to help students master grade-level math and reading skills during the summer months when public schools are on vacation. Students have a half-day of math and a half-day of reading instruction. Teaching is assessment-driven and is designed to help each child take their learning to the next level. Students gain a better grasp of the fundamentals and return to the regular school ready better prepared.
Summer Essentials Academy offers other benefits as well. Year-round learning helps young brains stay active. Knowledge retention is greatly increased from year to year, not to mention the fact that it keeps kids busy and off the street. The Summer Essential Academy can truly change the outcome of a child’s life for the better.