Thursday, July 17, 2003

Summer Schools Jump in Popularity: Raymore-Peculiar R-II School District Offers Courses Ranging From English To Puppetry

Summer school once hung over students like the sword of Damocles.

The thought of spending summer days in the classroom while your friends were lounging around the pool was more than any right-minded student could fathom.

However, today, summer school is far more appealing with approximately 30% of Missouri’s public school students (2002 summer school session) enrolled in these classes, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The Raymore-Peculiar R-II school district has contracted with Newton Learning to offer its summer school. Newton is a private company that has become a Missouri leader in providing summer school programs. The firm has summer school contracts with 68 of the state’s school districts and is teaching students everything from math and history to theater arts and rocket building.

Its curriculum is so popular that 55% of the students (grades one through eight) in Newton Learning school districts have registered for summer school.

“The most important characteristic that sets Newton Learning’s summer curricula apart from other programs is our focus on student interest,” said Clay Shwab, the company’s chief operating officer.

“With its unique course offerings, interwoven with enrichment activities and great prizes, we have changed students’ negative feelings about summer school into enthusiasm and wonderful attendance,” Shwab said.

Newton Learning students are rewarded with motivational incentives. Every day, teachers award points for each student’s attitude, attendance, and achievements. The points are then exchanged for prizes at the end of the class.

The curriculum is developed for each school district and includes basic courses consisting of reading, language arts, mathematics, science and social studies in grades K through 8.

A range of enrichment programs entice students to opt for the classroom over a morning with their home video games. Courses include: rocketry, fine arts, dance, puppetry, theater arts, broadcast journalism, woodworking and lifetime sports.

“The secondary school curriculum is developed to meet the most ridged requirements. It includes: algebra, geometry, or advanced mathematics, English, communication arts, humanities, U.S. and/or world history,” Shwab said.

The effectiveness of the Newton program is measured by a pre-class evaluation test that is administered on the second day of the class, then is conducted again on the second to last day of the class.

“During the 2002 summer session, the 38.000 Missouri students participation in or programs realized a mean improvement level between the pre-curriculum and post-curriculum examinations of 46.75% in communication arts (reading, writing and language arts) and a 63.1% gain in mathematics,” according to Shwab.

Newton Learning specializes in conducting summer school and after school learning programs.