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High Quality
Summer Programs Versus Summer School
"Summer should be fun, but parents shouldn't let it be a break from
learning," says Ron Fairchild, executive director of the Johns Hopkins
University Center for Summer Learning. "High-quality summer learning opportunities
keep children healthy, safe and on track in school."
In addition to academic losses, children
also may gain unhealthy weight over the
summer. According to a recent Ohio State
University study, minority children and
children who already are overweight gain
body mass index twice as fast when they
are out of school during the summer. Engaging
summer programs not only offer a chance
to practice and learn new skills but also
can provide nutritious meals and help keep
kids active.
Summer programs can also have a positive
impact on juvenile crime, support working
families, teach skills needed for the workforce,
keep kids safe, and provide much needed
child care. Well-designed summer programs
balance opportunities for learning, enrichment
and recreation.
While research shows that remedial summer
school often has little impact on student
achievement, studies of high-quality summer
programs that combine academics with enrichment
demonstrate that these programs can have
a powerful and lasting effect. Despite
this research, an increasing number of
schools continue to operate traditional
summer school programs that typically offer
very little enrichment. Nearly 5 million
children – 10 percent of all public
school students – attend summer school,
typically remedial classes. The number
of schools using federal funds for summer
school increased from 15 to 41 percent
from 1991 to 1998.
What should parents know? Children need
comprehensive, holistic summer programs
with both academic and non-academic enrichment
activities. Well-designed summer programs:
- Increase academic achievement
- Help keep children safe and healthy
- Increase connections to the workforce
and community service
- Ensure kids have meaningful relationships
with caring adults
- Increase motivation for and engagement
in learning
- Develop and nurture new skills and
talents
For more information, visit www.summerlearning.org.
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Grant Opportunity
The Bubel/Aiken Foundation (TBAF) has expanded
its Let's ALL Play Program. For
the summer camp season of 2008, TBAF
seeks to support one hundred recreational
programs in implementing inclusive camps
for kids with and without disabilities
by providing a program model, funding,
and training. Programs will participate
in a grant process to receive funding.
TBAF is looking for quality programs
seeking to serve ALL kids in their communities.
To find out more about Let's ALL
Play and to check out the grant process,
please visit www.bubelaiken.org or
e-mail Aron Hall, Director Services,
at aronhall@bubelaiken.org.
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New Research on Parent Training Programs
On July 27, the Brookings Institution convened
"Child Protection and Parent Training
Programs"
to explore the latest research on parent
training programs and discuss implications
for policy. Research
findings indicate the importance of high
quality parent training programs, which
require a high frequency of visits, guided
parent-child activities, and a focus on
child development education. Panelists
made several program and policy recommendations
for creating effective parent training
programs, these include: implementing developmentally
appropriate curricula; coordinating services
among family service agencies; and allocating
research funds to find the most effective
child abuse prevention strategies. For
more information click
here.
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Research Nuggets from TRU (Teenage Research
Unlimited)
The More Things
Change…
Last summer teens ranked their top social
concerns with paying for college (63
percent) and high gas prices (52 percent)
topping their list and the war in Iraq
coming in last (33 percent). That same
list of social concerns was ranked by
teens again this summer. Did teens' responses'
express:
- Frustration and anger with the war,
so a move out of last place.
- Restlessness with social concerns
so a major shake-up in their rankings.
- Teen acceptance that most things
are as they are, so just move on with
things.
If you picked #3, you were right! Fact
is, teens are adaptable beings. Teens believe
nothing is permanent in today's fast-changing
world. Products and fads are born to be
replaced. Peace is fragile, and war can't
be considered a surprise (especially if
it doesn't affect them directly). A
massive shock often rouses teen excitement
but unless young people see an event as
altering their day-to-day lives, they quickly
assimilate the information and move on. For
camp folks, if we want to make a difference
to our teens, we have to find ways that
not only tap their energy but stay with
them in a meaningful day-to-day way. Check
out the July 13 TRU survey for a complete
ranking of social concerns to teens. By
the way, high gas prices and deciding what
to do for fun this summer tied for second
this year (45 percent) right behind paying
for college (59 percent) and the war in
Iraq was still last (35 percent).
The Gender Gap in Role Models
With the publicity of the bad girls of
Hollywood filling both the airways and
the pages of print media, female teens
have a stunning dose of poor role models.
How does their reality contrast with
male teens' thoughts about role
models? Most males say that celebrity
worship is a "girl thing." Additionally,
males are much more reluctant to even
name male role models. The importance
of such figures, what makes a role model
a role model, and who fits the expectation
are difficult questions for young males
to answer. When teen males were polled
in a recent TRU study, P-Diddy, Sean
Penn, and Bono were acknowledged for
their humanitarian efforts, and Will
Smith was identified as the consummate
family man. Ironically, the poll revealed
the male teens' skepticism of rappers
as positive forces while athletes were
ranked less dubiously than musicians.
This gender gap about role models raises
some interesting issues for camps such
as the ways mentoring and role modeling
are addressed during staff training,
our assumptions around role models, and
the need to consider differences based
on gender.
So who did males rank at the top of their
hero list? Check out the August
10 newsletter that you can access online as an ACA member
to find this answer and more!
(If you can't wait to know the answer,
even God couldn't beat out moms for
the top spot with teen males.)
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