How Districts Plan for Successful Summer Programs

A lot goes into planning summer programs. Summer leaders have a tight timeframe in which to find facilities; hire and train staff; choose partners to provide enrichment activities; select or design a curriculum; recruit students and communicate with families; and manage logistics like transportation, meals, and supplies—all while juggling other district priorities.

This summer snapshot, the third and final in a series, focuses on how three of the 100-plus districts in the Wallace-funded District Summer Learning Network (DSLN) have used evidence-based planning practices to revamp their approaches to summer learning. In each of the three districts, strong leadership and early, collaborative planning have produced improved summer programs that offer engaging activities tailored to student needs, instruction that reinforces the school-year curriculum, and professional development opportunities for staff. They show how districts that plan ahead can harness the summer months to make progress on their broader goals.

Examples of how the districts in the snapshot took on planning for summer include:

• Newark, New Jersey—It all starts with the superintendent setting a vision for summer as an important opportunity for fun and enrichment. From there, a wide range of district departments and outside partners work together to make that vision a reality.
• Rochester, Minnesota—To create an engaging summer experience, the dedicated summer learning team works closely with district departments that serve priority students (e.g., multilingual learners), as well as leaders of individual program sites. They also regularly gather feedback from students and families. 
• Seattle, Washington—Making summer learning a standing agenda item in cross-departmental meetings has helped cement it as a core part of the district’s year-round work. The summer team has designed its programming to complement the school-year curriculum and test out new approaches to instruction. 

The DSLN helps more than 100 school districts (and six states) design, carry out, and sustain high-quality, evidence-based summer learning programs that prepare students for academic success and support their wellbeing. Funded by The Wallace Foundation, DSLN is designed and led by FHI 360, with NYU Metro Center's Policy, Research and Evaluation team serving as the research partner.