Aug. 1, 2019 – “Summer Slide.” Two words a teacher never wants to hear, as they refer to the tendency for students forget what they’ve learned during a long break from school.
But thanks to the Kids Hope Alliance’s Jax SAIL Summer Program, teachers are helping students put a stop to the summer slide. SAIL stands for “Supporting Academics and Igniting Learning.” Leaders say that students are not only maintaining what they’ve learned – many are also making gains.
“Sixty-two percent of the students that we had in 2018 didn’t have any summer slide, and grew,” said Heather Monroe-Ossi, Associate Director for Program Development at the University of North Florida’s FIE, or Florida Institute of Education. “And that’s not traditionally what happens over the summer!”
“During the summer, you can learn too because it’s always good for the next grade that you’re going to,” said Cailyn Wainwright, a soon-to-be 4th grader at Arlington Elementary.
Four Duval elementary schools are participating in Jax SAIL’s three-year pilot program with support from UNF and four community organizations: Arlington (Boys and Girls Club), Normandy Village (Communities in Schools), Reynolds Lane (First Coast YMCA) and Sallye B. Mathis (Wayland Community Development).
The Team Duval Newsroom Video Team recently visited the Jax SAIL site at Arlington Elementary. Watch to see how creative curriculum in the classroom is translating into student success.
