Weekly Media Roundup: July 17, 2019

Pittsburgh Public's Summer Dreamers Academy Still a Success After 10 Years, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pennsylvania)

More than 1,500 students entering kindergarten through eighth grade participate in the Pittsburgh Summer Dreamers Academy, where they learn about nutrition, practice reading, create art, play African drums and more. In 2011, the Summer Dreamers Academy partnered with the Wallace Foundation and the RAND Corporation to expand and study its programming; the resulting research demonstrated the program boosts student achievement in some areas. “That, I think, should be a real point of pride for the Pittsburgh folks to contribute to summer learning that is now widely cited by others,” Ann Stone, senior research officer for the Wallace Foundation, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “What we're thrilled about is that this priority on summer has continued in Pittsburgh over many years.”

Rodarte Community Center Celebrates 40 Years of Enriching the Lives of Greeley Youth, Greeley Tribune (Texas)

Last week, more than 150 people attended a festival to celebrate the Rodarte Community Center’s 40^th birthday in Greeley, Texas. The center offers a variety of afterschool programming for children, including boxing to boost physical fitness and art to encourage creativity. “The Rodarte is certainly one of the gems that has enriched the lives of youth for going on 40 years,” Greeley Mayor John Gates told the Greeley Tribune. “It allows kids someplace to go afterschool and gives them a venue to stay safe, meet people and get involved in activities.”

At Greensboro Freedom School, Each Day Starts with a Dance, Associated Press/Education Week

Inspirational literature, chants and songs take center stage at the Greensboro Freedom School, hosted by Providence Baptist Church in North Carolina. The program is designed to encourage students’ love of learning and boost their confidence through culturally diverse books, field trips and relationships with college mentors. This summer, guest speakers have included a local high school principal and former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Henry Frye. Each student receives two meals a day as well as a book each week. “Each child is developing their own library at home,” the Reverend Darryl Arron told Education Week. “We are investing in peoples’ lives.”

North Tulsa Youth Program Recognized for Helping At-Risk Kids Stay on the Right Path During Summer, Tulsa World (Oklahoma)

At the YouthWorks summer learning program, about 125 children care for ranch animals, run a pizza business, study reading and math, and play basketball on a court designed by the Oklahoma City Thunder. According to Executive Director Chris Beach, students raise their reading skills by an average of 1.48 grade levels over the course of the 10-week program. YouthWorks was recently selected as one of eight finalists for the National Summer Learning Association’s (NSLA) annual Summer Learning Awards. NSLA “told us they like our model where children serve as leaders. They like the hands-on learning opportunities. We believe that’s the best way for a child to learn, to let them be leaders and learn what it’s like to lead and to take responsibility,” Beach told the Tulsa World.