Richland teachers reimagine summer school

Who wants to go to summer school?  The answer to this question is usually met with a resounding “NO!!” by students who just recently attended their last days of the regular school year.  In the past, summer school was meant only for students who failed a course, had attendance issues, or didn’t do so well on the LEAP test, but beginning this summer, we want summer school to build student abilities by creating opportunities for students to deeply engage in literacy and math.  

Last summer, Richland parish sent nine teachers to attend the Good to Great Institute in New Orleans.  Good to Great is a professional development opportunity that grows teachers by improving mindsets, teaching new math and literacy structures, implementing those structures with real students in a real classroom, and receiving immediate coaching feedback before trying the structures out again with a second group of students.  I was fortunate enough to be one of the nine teachers in attendance and knew without a doubt that this design needed to be recreated in Richland Parish to grow our teachers while helping our own students overcome the summer academic slide.

In order to make our summer school dream a reality, Brossette Educational Management, a non-profit organization in conjunction and in partnership with Richland Parish Public Schools submitted a proposal in May 2019 in response to the Request for Proposal for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers through the Louisiana Department of Education to continue their six year existing partnership and to continue to serve students and families in the towns of Rayville and Delhi.  The updated proposal included a shift in focus to align support and services to support tier one curriculum implementation.  In grades 3-8, which are the targeted grades for wrap-a-around services, Richland Parish curriculum implementation is as follows:  8th year of Eureka Math and 2nd year of Louisiana Guidebooks 2.0.  

Students attending summer school will spend half of their morning with a Literacy team of teachers reading and analyzing the novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis and the second half with a team of math teachers engaging in number talks, tasks, and Eureka core lessons.  Students will also have thirty minutes between classes for activity time.  Each afternoon, the literacy and math teachers will collaboratively plan for the following day’s lessons and also practice the lesson in front of their team to iron out the flaws prior to delivery for students the next day.  The big idea for Richland Summer Institute is to ensure skillful curriculum use and high expectations to promote student demonstration of learning.  These three pillars are what ensure ALL Richland Parish students receive effective instruction every day.

Richland Summer Institute will have two sites and will serve students in grades 3-8.  The two sites will be Delhi Elementary serving Delhi students and Rayville Junior High serving Rayville students.  The dates are June 10-13, 17-20, 24-25 and will last from 7:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.  Breakfast and lunch will be served to all students in attendance.  On the final day of summer school, students will be taken on a field trip to The African American Museum, The Chennault Aviation Museum, then have lunch and play at Kiroli Park.  More information on the Richland Summer Institute and the field trip can be obtained by contacting the site leaders below.  Applications can be obtained at the designated school sites.

Delhi Site Leader 

Floyd McDade

Phone: 318-450-7621 

Email:  mcdadef@bellsouth.net

Rayville Site Leader

Sylvia Jones 

Phone:  318-728-3618

Email:  syljones@richland.k12.la.us