Summer School Teacher Quality Under Renewed Scrutiny

Education Week (5/12, Sawchuk) reports that with increased nationwide focus on teacher quality, the question of "which teachers get recruited for summer school, and how well does their instruction align to the knowledge and skills children need to master" is receiving increased consideration. "A hefty body of evidence documents the phenomenon of 'summer learning loss,' but consensus on the attributes of effective summer intervention, especially when it comes to access to high-quality teaching for students most at risk of falling behind, is only starting to emerge." However, "a handful of districts are beginning to wrestle with the topic, thanks in part to an emphasis on both teacher quality and expanded learning in the federal economic-stimulus legislation."