Fort Worth ISD has begun summer learning programs at schools across the district. Fort Worth ISD offers 25 summer programs, and Superintendent Kent Scribner says 14,000 students signed up.
"It's about accelerating our instruction, accelerating our learning and making up for time we lost during the pandemic," he says.
At M.H. Moore Elementary in the Diamond Hill area of North Fort Worth, students began classes Monday.
"This is phenomenal because we can give our students another month of instruction they need," says Principal Ricardo Alvarez.
Alvarez cites a Brookings Institution study showing students lose an average of 25 to 30 percent of school-year learning over the summer.
"It's really a great opportunity for students to continue learning, to continue moving forward," he says. "It's really important you bring your students every day to summer school."
Fort Worth ISD had its bookmobile and STEM trailer at Moore Elementary Monday, and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History brought its "Discovery Lab on Wheels".
"That's all hands-on," says the museum's Abigail Hofbauer. "We do fun activities that are focused on science, technology, engineering, art and math. One of the things we're focusing on this summer is our gravity, motion, and force activities as well as talking about weathering and erosion. It's really great to have hands-on learning and hands-on activities we can bring to schools and to communities around Fort Worth."
Scribner says traveling exhibits and summer learning programs can prevent a learning slide but also expand access to museums and other programs.
"You don't have to live near the Cultural District to experience that," he says. "We want to bring the Museum of Science and History here to the Diamond Hill community, to East Fort Worth, to all over the city to provide access, equity and opportunity."
Scribner says Fort Worth ISD is also working with the private sector to ensure students are gaining practical skills they will need in the workforce.
"We have great partnerships with Bell, we have great partnerships with Lockheed Martin," he says. "Our students are our future leaders."
High school summer programs start next week.
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