Summer in Oakland

For schoolchildren around the nation, summer means no school, no homework, and in many cases, no learning. All this contributes to the "summer slide" where kids forget what they have learned during the previous school year. The summer slide is especially steep and slippery for vulnerable children--those with low-income families and those who do not have access to extracurricular activities.

Maybe this summer will be different in Oakland.

At Madison Middle School, 50 students are studying math and science. Thanks to corporate grants and their STEM program, students at 17 Oakland schools have the opportunity to have an enriched summer with hands-on activities that encourage science, technology, engineering and math.

Similarly, Faith Network is also playing a part in trying to keep students at the top of their learning abilities so that they will be ready for the next grade. At Prescott Elementary, Succeeding by Reading (one of Faith Network's three core programs) is having a summer reading program where kids can come for one-on-one literacy tutoring.

Also, students are having experiences with nature with our summer camp program. A great part of not having school is that kids can go on vacation and have experiential learning. But for students whose parents must work through the year with little to no vacation, the opportunity to go to our free, week-long camp is immense.

Here's to hoping for not only more summer opportunities for our students we go into our eleventh school year, but also a greater participation from those students and families as those opportunities arise.