While the summer slide is familiar to most educators, unfinished learning due to the pandemic is a whole new challenge. Overcoming learning gaps by keeping students engaged, learning, and growing during the summer months is now more important than ever, given that many students have fallen behind expectations in both
reading and math.
Many districts are helping students catch up by investing in technology-based resources that accelerate learning outside of the classroom and beyond the traditional school calendar. If your district is already using Renaissance assessment, literacy or math solutions, your educators and students are set for a seamless transition to summer learning, at no additional cost.
If your district is not yet implementing these resources, the summer learning season is the perfect time to discover the difference they can make to your students’ progress in meeting grade-level expectations. The use of these resources during the summer learning season is a powerful support, whether for high dosage tutoring in formal summer school settings, in school and community-based enrichment programs, or for independent learning opportunities.
Suggested Funding Options For Summer Learning
Renaissance solutions support learning in any environment
ARP-ESSER
(ESSER III) Title I 21st CCLC
Local, State, or Regional Foundations and Corporations
Formal Summer School (High-Dosage Tutoring and Acceleration Academies) Assessments ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Math and Reading ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Summer Enrichment Programs (School and Community-based Programs)
Math and Reading (School-based programs) ✓ ✓ ✓
Note: Community-based programs typically have their own funding to cover program costs and should be encouraged to incorporate Renaissance solutions that students already have access to their schools Independent Learning Math and Reading ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
A Closer Look at Federal Funding
The $122 billion provided under the American RescuePlan (ARP), also known as ARP-ESSER or ESSER III, provides a unique opportunity to use the summermonths to help students catch up. This legislation,which followed CARES (ESSER I) and CRRSA (ESSER II) funding, requires your school district to spend at least 20% of its ARP allocation to address learning
loss through the implementation of evidence-based interventions such as summer learning programs.
While funds already identified in your budget can beused to incorporate Renaissance Star Assessments,myON, Accelerated Reader, Freckle, and Lalilo intoyour summer learning plan, ARP-ESSER (ESSER III) funds eliminate the challenges inherent in braiding,
bundling, or piecing together dollars from varioussources into a single, dedicated stream focused onmeeting students’ most urgent instructional needs.This new, discrete source of funds will enable yourdistrict to implement a coherent system of summerliteracy and mathprograms concentrated on students’ continued learning and growth.
In addition to COVID Relief funds (CARES, CRRSA, and ARP), the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides funding to support high quality educationthrough formula funds based on numbers of students meeting certain eligibility requirements, and competitive funds awarded through a selection process. These include:
• Title I
• Title III (for English learners)
• Title IV-A
• Title IV-B (21st Century Community Learning Centers)
• IDEA/CEIS
• Comprehensive Literacy State DevelopmentGrants (if your state has been awarded this grant)
Securing Foundation or Corporate Funding
It’s not difficult to convince a foundation orcorporation that summer learning is worthy oftheir support. One doesn’t have to be an educatorto understand the critical importance of summer learning to students’ achievement.
Everyone recognizes that the disruptions ineducation require strategies that support continuous learning.Digital reading and math programs that personalize
student practice, keep students’ skills sharp, andconnect students and their families with teachers address the challenge of learning wherever studentsare—whether they are participating in formal summerschool instruction, enrichment programs offered
by schools or community organizations, or learningindependently.Moreover, 88% of teachers say summer learningprograms are important to students’ success. Summer reading enables students to become better readers and fosters the joy of reading. Consistent math practice builds students’ math facts fluency and increases their ability to comprehend math concepts as they progress through school.
Through your summer program, you are offering
funding sources a key role in accelerating students’
progress toward learning recovery.
You will have immediate results to share with them,
including data on the number of books and articles
read, math activities completed, time spent on literacy
and math practice, as well as longer-term results
measured by reading and math growth.
To secure foundation funding, first determine to
whom you will submit your request for support.
Many foundations have websites that describe their
priorities, eligibility requirements, application process,
etc. Corporations often have a section related to
funding opportunities on their websites—sometimes
shown as “corporate responsibility,” “community
involvement,” “request a donation,” or something
similar.
If you are unsure of which websites to check, try those
listed below.
• Foundations in your community: Many
community foundations across the country
are making grants in response to requests
related to COVID-19. See if there is a
community foundation near you: https://www.
cof.org/page/community-foundation-locator.
If so, visit their website or be in touch to
determine if there are available grant opportunities.
• Foundations in your state (include “literacy,”
“reading,” “math,” or related terminology in your
search).
• National foundations such as:
−Dollar General Summer Reading Grants
(applicants must be located within 15
miles of a Dollar General store)
−Wells Fargo Foundation (applications are
to be submitted regionally)
−Believe in Reading
−National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Enhancing Student
Mathematics Learning through the Use of Tools and Technology Grants (Pre-K–12)
• Corporations headquartered or with concentrations of employees in your area.
• Corporations headquartered elsewhere but doing business in your area (large retailers, delivery companies, grocery chains, etc.).
• Corporations that provide services to thedistrict (utilities, banks, food distributors,technology companies, etc.).
In addition, Giving Compass and the National Center for Family Philanthropy have compiled a list of funding sources that are providing emergencyrelief funds in response to COVID-19. Visit https:// givingcompass.org/coronavirus-covid19.
Emphasize how state-of-the-art personalized digitalliteracy and math environments will provide your students with access to meaningful learning during the summer. In addition to the widely recognized value of summer learning, explain why it will meet the needs of your students. The strongest negative impacts of the pandemicdisruptions have been observed among historically marginalized populations. These include students attending Title I schools in urban areas and students who are Black, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska
Native, as well as students with disabilities or who
are classified as English Language Learners.
• If you have students from low-income families,
point out that they may be unlikely to have
access to reading and math practice outside
of school.
• If you have students who are lagging below
grade level, offer the most recent data (test
scores, assessment results) as documentation.
However, rather than relying solely on data,
try to humanize the need. Use anecdotes or
descriptions such as “three out of five third
graders in our school are not reading on grade
level,” which evoke an image of children
rather than data points. Or share a story about
an individual student’s struggles with maththe
reasons, their efforts, etc.
• If students typically spend their free time
playing video games, describe how reading and
math practice stimulates their imaginations,
builds their verbal and math skills, helps
them develop critical thinking, and encourages
emotional growth.
• Point out that Renaissance programs engage
families in supporting their students’ learning
during the summer with resources, tips, and
activities that can be enjoyed together.
The simple formula for securing philanthropic
funding is an undeniable need plus an effective
response to that need. Remember that the need is
not for money. The need must be focused on the
students: to maintain and grow reading and math
skills during the summer through meaningful learning
activities that yield lasting benefits.
A proposal that presents a compelling case, clear,
measurable goals and objectives, an easy-to-
understand implementation strategy, and a plan
for both recognizing the funder’s contribution
and reporting the program’s results will lead you
to success.
Visit our Funding Resources Hub for more information on funding
correlated to Renaissance solutions that help schools, districts, and
communities meet learning goals for every student all year long.
We welcome your stories! Contact us at [email protected]!
Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
