Abdo: Boosting Summer School Attendance Critical to Tulsa’s Struggling Students, Future
Boosting summer school attendance critical to Tulsa’s struggling students, future
By MELISSA ABDO
For two weeks, as part of a partnership with Tulsa Public Schools, Stand for Children has been making phone calls to parents who have made the great decision to enroll their child in summer school. The stories shared by these parents during these phone calls have been eye-opening about how very different the impact of summer break is for families of different income levels.
One single mom shared how she worried she wouldn’t be able to get her son to the bus stop because she had to be at work at 6 a.m. and the bus arrived at 7:10 a.m. Yet there was determination in her voice when she said, “It’s going to be tough, but I’ll do everything I can to make sure he’s there.”
Another mom sounded so relieved when she realized there would be bus service to take her daughter to summer school and that breakfast and lunch would be served every day. She had been worried she wouldn’t be able to get her daughter to school because her car wasn’t running and she lacked the means to fix it.
These moms’ reality is a far cry from the perception that many have of the time-honored tradition of summer break — camping, swimming, riding bikes, and maybe even reading a book under the cover of a tree. Their reality is overcoming challenges to ensure their children, who might be struggling in school, attend and complete summer school to stave off “summer slide” and have the best possible chance to start the next school year ready for success.