skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Alabama woman works to help returning citizens rebuild their lives; Marist polls: Harris leads Trump in Michigan, Wisconsin; they're tied in Pennsylvania; UAW contract negotiations at VW focus on healthcare, safety, wages; NC dentists warn of crisis due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

Rural OR Program Collaborates with Community to Bring Summer Learning

play audio
Play

Friday, July 14, 2017   

BAKER CITY, Ore. – Children cherish summer as a time when they are free from school, but the lack of academics can leave them behind in class the next year, educators say.

That's especially the case for students from low-income families who often don't have the resources for summer learning opportunities.

Add to that the challenges for rural communities, and the hurdles to keeping children on track can sometimes look insurmountable.

Enter Baker City in eastern Oregon. Its school district is in its second year of a successful program called Summer Academy.

School District Superintendent Mark Witty, who oversees the academy, talks about the challenges summer presents for students without a learning program.

"Those students will have a tendency to do what's called the ‘summer slide,’” he explains. “And so, they finish in May at a certain level in literacy and in math skills, and they'll start below that in September."

The Baker City program received grants from Umpqua Bank and charitable groups such as the Ford Family Foundation, and is run in partnership with nine organizations, including the Baker County Public Library, YMCA and Baker Heritage Museum.

Witty says the academy is interactive and almost like a camp. Students in the program take field trips every week.

Witty says in its first year, the program successfully kept students from sliding, and this year enrollment has increased from about 120 to 180 students.

He says schools are the centers of community activity in rural areas, and the program is successful because of the many community partners working together on it.

"So I think collaboration really is critical probably everywhere, but certainly in a rural community,” he stresses. “If you can collaborate, I think that makes a large difference on what are the types of programming that you can offer."

Witty says the sooner school districts and communities recognize the importance of providing learning opportunities year-round, the better off they will be.

"The success of our schools, the success of our students – that's going to directly relate to our economic value over time,” he states. “And so, for us to get a student to the seventh grade that's ready to learn and on track with their peers, that's a big deal."





get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021