The Huffington Post – Jon Alfuth
“Growing up, I experienced one of public education’s intractable problems between June and September – the summer brain drain. It was like all that Algebra and English never happened…When I started teaching, the summer brain drain went from being my own personal problem to being my professional problem…So what do we do?…At my school, The Soulsville Charter School in Memphis, we’ve come up with a unique requirement that fights that summer brain drain and builds rather than breaks down enthusiasm. We call it the summer growth experience, or SGE. It works like this. Every student attending our school is required, starting in 9th grade, to participate in an activity that builds their knowledge and skills during the summer. Students pick from a wide variety of activities. When they return in the fall, they complete a presentation and are given a grade based on its quality.”(more)