The Benefits of Summer Learning
Did you know that according to the National Summer Learning Association "two-thirds of the ninth grade achievement gap can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities during the elementary school years?"
Ensuring that our children are engaged and continue to learn during their summer break is more than just a good idea, it's vital to their future educational success. Research has shown a quantifiable loss of learning if students are not regularly engaged and learning over the summer.
Summer school can be an option for students looking to catch up or get ahead on their studies or learn something new, like a foreign language.
A recent report by Bristol University found that attending summer school can help students get into top universities.
"Researchers at Bristol University have uncovered a "summer school effect", which reveals that more than three-quarters (76%) of children who get into a summer school then go on to an elite university, compared with just over half (55%) of children with a similar academic and social background who did not apply for a summer school place."
The New York State Library also offers information about the benefits of summer learning and tools to help young people and their parents learn all year long and begin to cultivate a love of reading.
And depending on your family's goals, online summer school can provide an engaging and flexible opportunity to help meet your needs.
Many families find having to accommodate school into their summer plans can be a challenge feat. First, there is figuring out how it will fit in with your family vacation schedule. I'm also sure that having to help your very, very sleepy kid get out of bed and out the door every morning is not top on your list of ways to spend your summer mornings, and of course depending on the subject, the courses your student needs may not even be offered.
Taking a summer school course online may be the right option to overcome many of these challenges.
No Sitting in a Classroom
Do you have a trip to the beach planned or a week-long trip to see family in the works? K¹² Summer School online courses can be taken from just about anywhere, as long as there is reliable internet connection available.
Flexibility
In many cases, the courses offered during the summer can be done on a schedule that works for the student. Your sleepy kid can sleep in and start his or her course work when they are wide awake and ready.
More Time to Learn
Summer school classes can offer young adults the opportunity to really get their minds around the concepts and course work that may have proved challenging for them during the school year.
Teacher Support
Taking classes during the summer can foster an environment where students feel more comfortable reaching out to their teacher for help with learning any concepts they are stuck on.
Teacher support is available for all of our high school courses, and is an option for all world language offerings.
Variety of Courses Available
To meet the many different needs of our students, we offer a large catalog of courses available including:
- 18 credit recovery courses that use new approaches to teach "unlearned" concepts, and let students move past material they've already mastered.
- Courses to help prepare your student for the challenge of high school with subjects from Algebra to Biology.
- Core subject with 28 original-credit courses, or a world language with our acclaimed powerspeaK¹² curriculum.
- Electives like Computer Literacy, Web Design, and Skills for Health to help students explore their interests and hobbies.
K¹² offers a variety of online courses specifically designed for the summer months—from high school options designed to help students recover credits or earn new ones, to world languages for grades 3 and up. Though most are full versions of K¹² regular courses, they're paced to be completed over a shorter, more intensive period of time.
Interested in finding more and browsing our courses and options available? Visit our course catalog.
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