Perspectives, a blog of ideas from The Johns Hopkins University

Education advice for Obama: Keep kids learning in the summer

Posted on 19. Jan, 2009 by Tracey Reeves in Uncategorized

Ron Fairchild, executive director of the Center for Summer Learning in the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, is a passionate advocate for keeping kids engaged in learning – in fun and creative ways — when school is out. Fairchild knows that low-income kids are particularly vulnerable to falling behind their peers during the summer. (Learn more about the research here). Here are Fairchild’s views on how the new administration should address the issue:

The historic election of Barack Obama has significant implications for the field of summer learning. As many who follow this issue know, President-elect Obama has been a long-time champion of summer learning and has been honored for his leadership with a 2008 Champion of Summer Learning award from our center.

Obama’s record on summer learning is extensive: In 2005, he and Senator Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., introduced the Summer Term Education Program for Upward Performance, or STEP UP Act, to create the first federal program to exclusively target the summer months as a strategy to close the achievement gap. In 2007, then-Sen. Obama and Mikulski attached STEP UP as an amendment to the larger America COMPETES Act, which was signed into law by President Bush in the summer of 2007. While STEP UP is now authorized in law, it has not had any funding appropriated by Congress. In addition to STEP UP, Obama pledged to invest $500 million to fund summer learning programs that could be run by faith- and community-based organizations.

Our center, the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, is leading a major effort to have a $50 million in funding for STEP UP included as part of the FY2009 federal budget. Thus far, STEP UP has not been included in either the House or Senate versions of the FY2009 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, although there are several opportunities for Congress and Obama to fund the program. First, Congress has not completed final action on the FY2009 budget and is likely to revisit the issue now that the election is over. If funding is not included in the FY2009 bill, Obama has the opportunity to include STEP UP funding in his FY2010  budget request, which will likely be issued in February. While Congress has the final say on funding decisions, inclusion of STEP UP in the president’s budget would be a critical first step in making this program a federal policy priority.

Still, there is no guarantee that STEP UP or other summer learning programs will be funded. The current economic crisis will have an impact on the ability of the federal government to invest in new programs, such as STEP UP. Additionally, summer learning will face stiff competition from other policy priorities.

However, we remain extremely optimistic about the prospects of working with the new administration to secure the first federal funding dollars dedicated exclusively to supporting summer learning.

The center has sent several policy recommendation documents to Obama’s transition team, including joint recommendations with other education organizations.

We urge all summer learning advocates to visit a Web site created by the Office of the President-elect at http://change.gov/page/s/yourvision where they can share their vision for what America can be and where President Obama should lead this country.

This is a critical time. It is imperative that summer learning advocates contact their congressional delegation and the new administration to make the case that a federal investment is essential to the academic and developmental success of children.

The center will continue to lead these efforts and urges interested parties to visit our Web site at http://www.summerlearning.org.

We invite you to join us in shaping policies that will affect the education and well being of our nation’s children for years to come.