Governor Cooper has officially proclaimed this week, July 8-13, as Summer Learning Week in North Carolina! Summer learning aims to encourage all families to maintain reading and other learning activities during the summer months. Summer learning plays an important role in supporting a child’s school success and serves as one of the Durham Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Pillars. National Summer Learning Week is an advocacy week aimed at elevating the importance of keeping all kids learning, healthy, and safe during the summer. Each year during the month of July, the country unites in advocacy efforts and celebrations hosted by hundreds of partner organizations from libraries, parks and recreation centers, civic, and non-profit groups – all sharing similar messages to promote awareness about the importance of keeping kids healthy and academically engaged during the summer.
Research shows that summers without quality learning opportunities put our nation’s youth at risk for falling behind – year after year – in core subjects like math and reading. Students from low-income families lose academic gains made during the previous school year each summer. Thus significantly contributing to academic disparities amongst their peers. A survey conducted by NSLA indicated that two-thirds of teachers said they spend at least a month re-teaching students old material when they return from summer break.
80% of children from economically disadvantaged families lose reading skills over the summer.
The Partnership through Durham’s Campaign for Grade Level Reading is co-sponsoring a Party this Friday, July 12th, as a way to encourage continued learning over the summer. We invite everyone to come out for Book Harvest’s READ-A-PALOOA! There will be photos with Clifford, games, pizza, cool treats to eat, free books and more, so make sure to come out from 4pm-6pm at W.G. Pearson Center, 600 E. Umstead St.
You can find the Gov. Coopers full proclamation here.
