7/29/2011 10:00:00 PMNew summer school mixes city and suburban kids to offer boost before high school
July 29, 2011, 10:00 PM
By Patrick O'Donnell, The Plain Dealer
DeShawn Bizzell's mother is making him attend summer school. He's glad she did.
The Ninth Grade Summer Academy has a different goal than a typical summer school. DeShawn, 14, isn't there because he failed classes or had work to make up. He's just a regular student, with a report card filled with B's and C's, about to make the leap from middle school to high school.
The new pilot program is aimed at giving nearly 100 students from across the county a boost as they enter the ninth grade. The academy was created by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson with help from state Sen. Nina Turner, the Cuyahoga County Educational Service Center, Cuyahoga Community College and PolicyBridge, a local think tank.
Jackson said the program, held at Tri-C's Metro Campus, is an example of regional collaboration to benefit children. Academy students come from Cleveland and 11 suburban districts.
"I want to institutionalize a regional approach to education," the mayor said. "How can we create common academic standards and performance? This is just a step. I am not hiding my goal and intent. We need a regional approach to education, starting with the county."
Academy students have spent the last month working on math and language problems at Tri-C five days a week. The lessons are designed to be fun, encourage problem-solving and help students think more critically.
Some lessons have students learning fractions and decimals using the batting averages and home runs of major league baseball players. Some use propaganda posters from World War II to highlight how advertising and other media help shape opinions. Others use children's books to draw students into talking about the lessons such books teach children and how they relate to their own lives.
Each week features a separate theme for the lessons: recreation/pop culture, transportation, sports, education/military and neighborhoods/landmarks/suburbs.
By using a college campus and having guest speakers from different industries visit, the program also lets students see opportunities open to them after they graduate from high school.
The program is free, with donations covering most of the $100,000 cost and the Cleveland school district picking up $20,000 of it.
"I'm happy I came," said DeShawn, who starts at Bedford High School this fall. "In the summer, I usually lose what I learn."
Darius Tabor, who will attend the Jane Addams campus in Cleveland this fall, said he was happy to catch up on skills by working with other students on lessons, not simply sitting through lectures.
"It gives you a chance to interact with people and not just sit and learn stuff," he said.
Although the Cleveland schools dominate the program with 56 students, 11 other districts sent students to the program, which the team organized in only a few months.
"I wanted to break the barrier of just having the conversation about collaboration and actually do it," said Jackson, who said the school "bridges the silos of different educational districts."
He said he would like to expand the program and use state or local school district money to provide a summer program for more incoming ninth-graders as well as other grades.
Jackson and officials at the Educational Service Center said the transition to ninth grade is often difficult, but critical for student success.
Jessica John, who will attend the Carl. F. Shuler 9th Grade Academy in Cleveland this fall, said that working and discussing problems with other students has helped her overcome shyness.
"When I will go to high school, I don't know anybody," she said. "I need to work on my social skills so I can know people. I'll probably be able to speak up a lot more."
The summer program is testing students' social and emotional development, along with academic progress, to demonstrate how participants improve and justify expanding the program.
Family members say they like what they've seen.
Eddie Rowell said he thinks it has helped his granddaughter, Shaniya meet people and see a larger view of the world than middle school offered.
Shannon Pope said that she likes having her son, Isaiah on a college campus, being pushed to think critically and receiving weekly updates on his progress - even if he's not thrilled about being made to be there.
"That's OK," she laughed. "It's our job to do a good job for our children and do what's right."