In celebration of National Summer Learning Week (July 12-16), Time4Learning Founder and President John Edelson wants to offer parents helpful summer learning tips that counter the effects of the past year.
After a year of education amid chaos, evidence shows that thousands of students have fallen behind, spurring a learning deficit experts dub “the COVID slide.” To support families looking to narrow this widening learning gap, Time4Learning,a national online homeschool curriculum, has released a free summer learning packet.
A recent study reported students were likely to lose approximately five to nine months of learning by the end of this school year. In school districts where fewer than a quarter of classes were held in person, the number of students who met math test expectations dropped by 32 percentage points, and the number of students who met reading expectations dropped by 9 percentage points compared to 2019, the last time the test was administered. This compares to a 9-percentage point drop and 1-percentage point drop, respectively, for districts where more than three quarters of classes were held in person. Embracing online supplemental learning is a practical approach parents can take to secure their children’s future academic success, according to John Edelson, founder and president of Time4Learning.
“Now is the time to devise a summer learning strategy,” he said. “While there is no perfect remedy that will return our students to grade level proficiency, parents need to take a proactive role before their children’s academic decline becomes insurmountable.”
The free downloadable packet offers learning suggestions designed to minimize the effect of a coronavirus-induced learning loss coupled with the traditional summer “brain drain.” Each activity focuses on strengthening reading and math skills, boosting learning comprehension and reinforcing problem-solving skills through fun games, interactive lessons or engaging games.
According to Edelson, parents should consider three important steps before beginning a summer learning curriculum:
- Observe: Monitor children during virtual school or homework time to identify academic strengths and weaknesses.
- Plan: Utilize the parent portal on Time4Learning to set learning goals and create an academic plan.
- Enjoy: Find ways to have fun by incorporating key concepts into traditional summer activities.
Time4Learning offers a customizable, flexible and affordable learning platform, while its interactive videos and gamified platform keep students’ minds engaged as they master concepts, practice skills and develop effective study habits. Families can start, stop or pause the program anytime. Visit Time4Learning.com for more information on how to get started, and to view demos.
