In 2019, BellXcel partnered with RAND on a first-of-its-kind study on summer teacher professional development, The Promise of Summer as a Time for Teacher Professional Learning. SCRI talked with the study’s lead researchers Elizabeth Steiner and Laura Stelitano to distill the findings for the broader K-12 field.
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SCRI uncovered an unexpected effect of participating in a summer program: Families, staff, and youth reported that participating in the 2020 BellXcel Remote summer program increased confidence in remote learning and technology, improving preparedness for potential shifts and uncertainties in the school year, and in some cases repairing negative perceptions of remote learning from the spring of 2020. This brief explores this theme and looks to uncover why the experience of BellXcel Remote resulted in these findings.
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We’re excited to share a new, first-of-its-kind national study of teacher professional learning opportunities during the summer months. “The Promise of Summer as a Time for Teacher Professional Learning” is a collaboration between RAND and BellXcel that draws insights from a national sample of teachers as well as BellXcel teachers specifically.
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SCRI found evidence that BellXcel Remote did help to bridge the gap between a disrupted 2019-20 school year and the new 2020-21 school year and was able to engage youth in summer distance learning. Analysis of end-of-program stakeholder surveys demonstrates that the program kept scholars, families, and staff engaged in a myriad of academic, enrichment, and SEL activities.
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Almost immediately after we launched, the world as we knew it turned upside down and we had to wrestle with the pandemic and the unforeseen challenges it presented for young people, families, educators, schools, and summer and afterschool providers. One constant during this turbulent time was our approach to tackling tough challenges: we began by asking questions. What do our partners need most from us? What are we uniquely positioned to learn and do? How can we use what we know to make things easier for others? Our answers have guided us to use the practical knowledge we’ve accumulated over the years to address big (and timely) topics.
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If there’s anything we’ve learned in the last two decades of out-of-school time (OST) research, it’s that quality matters in summer programs. SCRI’s latest report, “Quality Can’t Wait: Cultivating Continuous Improvement” looks at what we’ve learned about designing and implementing rapid-cycle quality improvement, while our expert interview with Wendy McClanahan of McClanahan Associates, Inc. gives a broader look at QA in OST.
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