How we made the most of the summer of COVID-19

With TeenSHARP’s support during the school year, our students were supposed to be moving and shaking across the globe this summer. 

One student was headed to Morocco on a NSLI-Y full scholarship. Another was headed to Ecuador with the Youth Ambassadors program. Several were supposed to attend the Yale Young Global Scholars Program and many landed other prestigious summer learning opportunities. 

But COVID-19 hit and most summer opportunities were canceled. After months of sheltering in place, our students were about to face a summer of setback and learning loss. 

That’s why our team set out to design a summer experience to prevent students from backsliding and to accelerate their learning. A program to connect students with practical, privileged information that’s usually out of their reach, like finance and stock trading, data science, and philanthropy.

Now we’re at the midpoint—with more than 160 students enrolled in our Summer Cyber SPARK (Scholars Pursuing Academic Rigor and Knowledge) program—and it’s clear:  the program is making an impact. 

“The Data Science class has shown me how data can be biased and how to look for those biases, making me a better analyst and consumer.”

— Cheyenne (10th grader, Delaware)

To get to this point, TeenSHARP had to reject some common myths about summer learning and the students for whom we design these experiences: 

1. Summer should be fun, and rigorous learning isn’t 
2. School takes care of all the necessary core content; thus, summer should be about enrichment
3. Our students are dealing with so much in the midst of the pandemic; they should not be also worried about assignments, assessments, and projects

Myth #1: Summer should be fun, and rigorous learning isn’t that 

Fun and learning are not mutually exclusive. In fact, when a student catches up on learning over the summer, it makes the rest of the year fun. Starting the new school year sharp, confident, and ready gives students so many more options. 

For our students, summer isn’t about missing out on fun. It’s about gaining the opportunity to catch up. 

Here’s an example: most of our scholars begin high school at a basic level of math when compared to their affluent peers. Even if our scholars excelled every school year they wouldn’t be able unlock certain courses—including AP Calculus, which is all but required to pursue certain STEM careers, or attend colleges that offer full funding to admitted low-income students.

This summer, our scholars are making up for lost time. They receive 10 hours per week of live math instruction; daily practice assignments; and weekly summative assignments, in small learning groups from Algebra 1 to Pre-Calculus. Some are repeating math they have supposedly learned at school. Others are accelerating to skip levels of math at school in order to reach AP Calculus. All are shifting their educational trajectory. 

“This class has both challenged me and rewarded my hard efforts; and everyday I feel I’m becoming more and more of a proficient mathematician.”

— Asquith Clarke II (12th grader, New Jersey)

Myth #2: School takes care of the necessary core content; thus, summer should be about enrichment

Many of our students lack access to truly rigorous course loads in their schools. And when they do get classroom rigor, it’s focused on Eurocentric content: bereft of all things “lived experience” of students of color, and the history of communities of color. Our students are also so rarely taught by teachers who look like them. 

We work year-round to expose our students to the intellectual genius birthed in their communities. This summer, with everything gone virtual, TeenSHARP took these efforts to the next level by bringing together a very diverse team of educators and practitioners— including an award-winning journalist and a former elected official— to teach such classes as Media and Communications 101, Elections and Campaigns, Fundamentals of Stock Trading, and Data Science. 

We partnered with the Center for Black Educator Development in Philadelphia to provide our scholars with an opportunity to experience their Freedom Schools Literacy Academy, a historical, authentic, community-based African American education. 

We also host conversations on race and racism each Monday for our students where they connect with experts on the topic and are empowered and affirmed. 

Myth #3: Our students are dealing with so much in the midst of the pandemic; they should not be also worried about assignments, assessments, and projects. 

During times of great change and chaos, we must rest, compose ourselves, take good care, and check in. We must also resist letting uncertainty obscure the opportunities that come at moments like this. 

For example, TeenSHARP often faces barriers in geography, travel, and availability when we’re trying to connect our students with highly-influential leaders. These barriers came down in a virtual world. Thinking like that, we’ve not only created a weekly speaker series to introduce our scholars to professionals in powerful positions, but we proudly welcomed Aspen Institute President & CEO Daniel Porterfield to speak with our students as they celebrated their college decisions. On top of that, TeenSHARP ran a four-week college admissions bootcamp and increased its college visits to include:  Tufts, Union College, Georgetown, Duke, Bowden, Bryn Mawr, Pitzer, Dennison, and more.

Even in “ordinary” times, anyone educating a young person must contend with myths about what’s possible for summer learning, and for students from certain backgrounds—let alone during a pandemic. 

But TeenSHARP exists to upend outmoded thinking about equity, achievement, potential, and leadership. Our work this summer illustrates our commitment to scholars, grounded in a true understanding they cannot afford to lose more valuable learning time because of disrupted schedules and “new normals.” 

Our students have to keep running when others stop. It’s our mission to keep running alongside them. 

Note: Students can still register for the TeenSHARP Cyber Summer SPARK week-long intensive session taking place from August 10th to August 14th. www.tinyurl.com/TeenSHARPSummer2