White House Domestic Policy Council focuses on summer learning

Photo by René DeAnda on Unsplash

On March 13, just days after the administration released their FY 2025 budget proposal, the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) hosted a Summer Learning Convening in the White House Executive Office Building.

The meeting was kicked off by DPC Director Neera Tanden, who established that learning acceleration through afterschool, summer learning and tutoring programs is a key priority of the Biden administration. Out of school time programs were highlighted in the president’s State of the Union Address and are part of a larger White House Improving Student Achievement Agenda. The agenda is reflected in the president’s FY 2025 budget request with a new proposed Academic Acceleration and Achievement Grant program, which features afterschool and summer learning as components to promote student learning. The newly proposed grant program would provide $8 billion in mandatory funding to high-need school districts to help close opportunity and achievement gaps and speed the pace of learning recovery. The grants would support evidence-based strategies to increase school attendance, provide high-quality tutoring and student supports, and expand learning time, including both in the summer and in extended day or afterschool programs.

At the event, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Martin shared her experience seeing the impact of strong summer learning and out of school time programs, first as a teacher who saw the impact on students when she voluntarily developed a summer learning program in her community, as well as throughout her tenure as superintendent of San Diego Unified School-District and in her current national leadership position.

Both Tanden and Martin conveyed the importance of two major components in efforts to improve outcomes for students and communities:

• Employing effective research-based practices designed to fit the community they serve
• Implementing meaningful partnerships between school – city – and community organizations

The importance of partnership and intentionality was showcased by speakers from two teams of school and community partners hailing from Rochester, New York and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Rochester’s team worked together to provide a well-rounded summer experience for youth. The district closely partnered with the Greater Rochester Afterschool and Summer Alliance and a local community foundation to coordinate program quality and opportunity throughout the city.

Summer programs at 26 sites wove high quality academics with enrichment and social and emotional learning, working with 14 community-based partners. The program provided transportation, meals, and, for older students, paid summer work. It engaged students providing a broad range of summer opportunities such as hiking, biking, and an opportunity to visit a college campus where a professional football team was training. These collective efforts produced gains in student attendance and helped get students back on track with maintaining grade level credits. Students earned an impressive total 2,600 credits over the summer hours.

Tuscaloosa has been prioritizing out of school time summer learning since 2017 as an essential strategy for closing achievement gaps. Pandemic relief funding allowed them to accelerate and grow their programs and partnerships. The district works closely with a university partner, the Alabama Center for Community Based Partnership, which values research-based approaches and taking to time to establish relationships through trusted partners. The Boys and Girls Club of Western Alabama became a collaborator on the summer initiative, building on their on-going work. They supported programming on school sites and in their own community programs, sharing resources, curricular materials, and data with schools. The program also provided additional academic support in literacy, math, and science, including through hiring certified teachers.

Program design in Tuscaloosa is structured carefully around what students and parents want. For example, the speakers mentioned students’ desire for driver education, which can be challenging to access and afford. The program engaged students with driver education classes while also offering academic preparation for college entrance exams.  The results of the student-centered, partnership-based programs were significant. The City of Tuscaloosa added summer learning to a successful tax referendum to help sustain the community’s program. Results for the summer learning programs continue to be strong, with 3 in 4 student participants not experiencing “summer slide” and instead being prepared for learning at the start of the school year.

As funding conversations continue in Congress, sustaining successful summer learning and afterschool programs hinges in part on knowledge of their impact. These stories and conversations are especially critical to uplift outcomes and galvanize support. To see more examples of success stories grounded in research based strategies and community partnership, please visit the Engage Every Student Map. If you have success stories to share, please let us know.