Stemming Summer Learning Loss
Since 2011, the Summer Enrichment Experience Program (SEE) has provided a fun, enriching summer programing for New Britain elementary school students.
The innovative model provides both academic and enrichment activities that help keep youth from falling behind their peers, a concept known as “summer slide.” Summer SEE also helps prepare students to return to school ready to learn in the fall.
During the summer months, students lose an average of 2 months of reading skills and 2.6 months of math skills. Studies have also shown the gap widens even more for low-income students, who may not have access to many types of summer enrichment experiences. Summer learning loss accounts for about two-thirds of the nineth grade achievement gap in reading.
The Consolidated School District of New Britain partners with over 40 community-based organizations, along with funders including the American Savings Foundation, to run Summer SEE. For the past 10 years, the program has worked to bridge the educational gap in reading and writing.
Summer SEE combines traditional academic learning with educational, yet fun, hands-on enrichment experiences such as theater, photography, dance, yoga, art, and karate throughout the day. Data shows that children in the SEE Programs have had better outcomes in 2 key areas:
- Their attendance in school improved, as compared to their peers, and
- They had less learning loss, on average, in reading, writing and/or math, and in some cases even showed improvement.
For 2021, Summer SEE will increase from 600 students to over 950, to help mitigate learning loss due to Covid. Over the past 3 years, the school district has also expanded the model to engage middle school and high school students through their XTREME and CREATE programs.
Summer SEE has been recognized with the 2016 New York Life Foundation Excellence Award and the 2015 National Summer Learning Award from the National Summer Learning Association.