June 17, 2004

Summer school evolves into a 'Summer Adventure' by Jacob Luecke

Most people who have been out of school for more than five years probably envision summer school as a row of disgruntled students sweating out the summer in a 99-degree classroom, wishing they had just pulled a "C" on that one test.

But today's summer school program at Kirksville R-III, is something all together different.

"The kids seem to have a really good time," said Kirksville Curriculum Director Jane Schaper.

A good time? At summer school?

"It is not the old credit recovery program any more," Schaper said.

Kirksville's summer school program, called Summer Adventure, features enrichment activities such as making model airplanes, building robots, flying rockets, studying fossils, writing creative stories and practicing forensic science.

The popularity of the new program speaks for itself. Four years ago the district had approximately 250 students taking summer classes. This year over 1,100 students are enrolled in summer school in Kirksville.

"It's incredibly popular," Schaper said. "It's amazing."

But students are not signing up for summer school in droves only for the interesting classes. Schaper says the "incentive" - the $100 credit card students get for having perfect attendance and good behavior - is also very popular.

That's right, these kids are getting paid to go to school. For many elementary school students, $100 is a fortune.

Schaper said the credit cards can be used anywhere in the community and most students choose to spend their money at local businesses.

This is the third year Kirksville has run the Summer Adventure program. The district contracts with the New York-based Newton Learning to provide the curriculum and supplies for the program. Kirksville officials hire the teachers and classes are held in the district's air-conditioned buildings.

The Summer Adventure program is only open from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade this year. In previous years, high school students could also enroll, but the program wasn't very popular with students in that age group because most were working summer jobs, Schaper said.

Students who go to home school or private school are also enrolling in the program, Schaper said.

She has heard a few gripes from the community that some parents are using the district as a baby sitter.

"I've heard some comments that we're just baby-sitting," Schaper said. "For some we are, but I don't have a problem with that. We're just trying to meet the needs of the community."

Some may wonder why the district is spending so much money on summer programs when school officials often say cash is strapped during the regular school year.

In 1993 the state legislature wanted to encourage schools to expand their summer programs so struggling students could catch up with their classmates and do better on standardized tests.

That year state lawmakers passed the Outstanding Schools Act which gave school districts double funding for summer programs under the state's complicated school funding formula.

This added summer cash paved the way for school districts to hire outside companies to come in with wildly different summer school programs like the one at Kirksville R-III.

As these programs become increasingly popular in large and small school districts, they are consuming more of the state's money each year. Over the last two years some state lawmakers have called for the end of summer school double funding.

If that happens, Schaper said the program at R-III will have to return to being a simple credit recovery program.

But Schaper said she sees much value in the Summer Adventure program, particularly with younger students.

"A lot of the educational gains that we see are in the primary school. The more we can do in the early years, the more we can head off learning problems," she said. "If it helps them learn, well that's what we're in business for."