School is out and vacation has begun, or has it?

This summer, more than 4,000 local charter school students are hard at work participating in “Summer Boost”, a new summer program of learning and enrichment made possible by a partnership between Hyde Family Foundation, an anonymous local funder and Bloomberg Philanthropies. 22 local charter organizations are participating in Summer Boost representing 46 schools operating programs at 35 distinct sites.

Summer Boost is described by teachers as “one of the biggest game changers” in advancing academic progress and addressing Covid-related learning loss. Students participate in daily Math and ELA (English Language Arts) classes along with fun and engaging enrichment activities. Small class sizes and the opportunity for tailored instruction give teachers the opportunity to address specific learning challenges, build a strong knowledge base and develop a rapport with caregivers ahead of the upcoming academic year.

According to a national study of 2023 students released this month, participating students gained on average an additional four to five weeks of learning in math, relative to their non-Summer Boost peers, recovering approximately 31% of Covid-related learning loss. For ELA, students also gained on average an additional three to four weeks of learning relative to their non-Summer Boost peers and recovered approximately 22% of Covid-related learning loss. All student demographic groups saw higher rates of growth compared to their non-Summer Boost peers in math and ELA, with English Language Learners gaining on average a total of seven additional weeks of learning in math and eight weeks in ELA.

At participating school Compass Berclair, Summer Boost is open to all rising 1st through 5th graders. During a recent visit, rising 3rd graders were reading One Crazy Summer and exploring its themes of community, identity and race while rising 4th graders practiced adding, subtracting and dividing fractions.

Ms. Baker, lead ELA teacher for 5th and 6th grade, says that Summer Boost gives her the opportunity to work closely with students to review and perfect concepts that they haven’t mastered during the school year. Ms. Dill, Math teacher for 4th and 5th grade, enjoys the opportunity to use a new curriculum and different resources than students typically see.

Both teachers say that they can see students learning in real time even as they also enjoy the program. The growth of students carries over into the next academic year and builds a sustaining culture of learning and success.

Hyde Family Foundation is proud to have worked alongside local and national funders to make Summer Boost possible in Memphis. We look forward to continuing our work to make a high-quality education possible for every child in Memphis.