Preventing the
“SUMMER SLIDE”
As educators, we are quite familiar with the ever- popular challenge of the “Summer Slide”. The “Summer Slide”, as we have always known it, is when students lose vital academic skills during the summer months. These skills are learned, groomed, reviewed, polished and remediated throughout the school year by hard- working teachers and specialists. For many school districts that have adopted a year-round school model or educators that strongly support it, year-round school is a marketable solution to this challenge. According to the National Summer Learning Association, “To succeed in school and life, children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice essential skills.” As school counselors, a huge part of our work and focus is to support the academic development of students. While we all know the significant challenges the “Summer Slide” presents, many often don’t consider that students also experience a “Summer Character Slide” as well. This idea may be novel in an educational system that widely values the acquisition of academic content over personal/ social well-being. Personally, I call it good old fashioned southern counselor common sense! For students that commonly struggle with social skills, this “slide” can be even more problematic. Much like any skill, mastery requires practice and exposure. Think about students with autism spectrum disorders, those with emotional disabilities, developmental delays or trauma. These students need consistent exposure to peers and age- appropriate situations in order to learn and be successful in traditional school settings/ environments.
Financial and cultural disadvantages can often create another hurdle for families and students during the summer months, in terms of opportunities for students to be socially (and academically) engaged. Research presented by the National Summer Learning Association also states that “more than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities.” As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college (Alexander, 2007). It must be kept in mind that even if a student attends daycare or summer camp during the summer, they experience a much less structured environment that can lead to challenges with social transition from summer to fall months. For students that have no school during the summer, vital social and problem-solving skills that that were once practiced daily during the school year are now lost “teachable moments”. Transitioning back to peer relationships may be a huge transition when school is back in session. In this regard, transitional challenges also come into play.
Safety and safe supervision is also a factor to address during the summer. As parents are left with the financial burden of summer childcare solutions, many are forced to place children under the care and supervision of environments that may be sub-par. Financial preparation for summer care may require planning, care and resources that parents living in disadvantaged environments may not be privy to.
As a school counselor, there are plenty of ways to educate parents about ways to prevent the “Summer Character Slide”. It is important to relate the widely used (and true) phrase “if you don’t use it you will lose it!”. Below are some tips to help school counselors support parents:
- Consider hosting a parent workshop or a “summer opportunities fair” at your school where local businesses and free recreational programs can advertise summer opportunities for parents.
- Suggest different ways parents can keep kids busy over the summer.
- Look into free/ reduced price options for kids to have interaction with same- age peers.
- Consider working with a local police department to provide resources or host an event that addresses proper safety/ summer supervision and internet safety.
- Encourage students and parents to research different charities that students could volunteer for or summer service projects.
There are many ways that school counselors can help to bridge the gap between a lapse in their services over the summer. Partnerships and collaborations may be the key to facilitating these supports in the easiest and most effective way. In elementary and middle school, parent outreach and education can often be the best mode of delivery as students cannot transport themselves. It is important for parents to know and understand not only the academic and physical detriment that can come from a summer in front of the T.V. but the social/ emotional challenges that can come when school starts back up and there are abrupt and dramatic environmental changes. An essential part of a School Counselors role is supporting and advocating for the best interests of our students and making our best efforts to ensure needs are met even when they are beyond our scope.
Alexander. (2007). National Summer Learning Association: Know the facts. Retrieved May 23, 2016, from
http://www.summerlearning.org/?page=know_the_facts
National Summer Learning Association. (2009). National Summer Learning Association: Know the facts.
Retrieved May 23, 2016, from http://www.summerlearning.org/?page=know_the_facts