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a26 obituario/u.s. news
Diabierna 6 augustus 2021

Summer funding helped school districts address disparities

(AP) — After another ited access to transportation.
p a n d e m i c - d i s r u p t e d
school year, organizers of “We’re starting from a really
vastly expanded summer unequal playing field,” said
learning opportunities Halley Potter, a senior fel-
are investing heavily in ef- low at The Century Founda-
forts to make them acces- tion who studies educational
sible to the most vulner- inequity. “There’s a lot that
able students. school districts have to do,
and community organiza-
While there have been suc- tions that are running these
cess stories, the programs programs as well, in order to
have faced many of the same help pick that up.”
challenges that educators
have been up against since The summer programs of-
the pandemic hit: Atten- fered by schools and com-
dance has been inconsistent, munity groups are powered
some families have lost in- by an infusion of private and
terest, and COVID-19 still public funding — including
has many reluctant to let stu- billions of dollars in federal
dents learn in-person. stimulus money — to help
students catch up on learn-
Educators also have had to ing. School districts targeted
address persistent barriers to their outreach to students
access for summer programs identified as high needs, in-
for families that juggle work cluding students with failing
and child care and have lim- grades in core classes or in high-poverty neighborhoods. relied on an SUV the district who were chronically ab-
sent to pick up her children. sent, and students with spe-
When Peñasco Indepen- cial needs for individual out-
dent School District, which “The school has been so ac- reach, including home visits
serves roughly 350 students commodating to my kids, and phone calls to inform
in New Mexico, announced to pick them up and drop families about registration.
a summer program this year, them off. I can’t do that,” said
demand overwhelmed the Romero, 28. About 65,000 students were
number of slots until the dis- identified as at-risk under
trict doubled the number of Even before the pandemic, those criteria, and nearly
seats available. students’ summer experi- 20,000 of those children
ences divided heavily along signed up for a summer slot.
But of the 85 children signed socioeconomic lines. Mid- The program saw an aver-
up, more than half would not dle and upper class students age daily attendance of about
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High be able to attend if it weren’t typically experience learning 10,000 at-risk students.
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. for district-provided trans- gains over the summer and
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and portation services. are more likely to have access Tangela Williams, who is
my fortress, to summer enrichment, Pot- overseeing summer pro-
my God, in whom I trust.” In Peñasco, pervasive in- ter said. gramming, said that because
tergenerational poverty has attendance was not mandato-
Psalm 91:1-2 pushed school districts to In contrast, low-income stu- ry, some students came only
embrace the so-called “com- dents typically see learning on certain days of the week
With a heart full of gratitud for what she has munity schools” model that loss, Potter said. Families of- or started during the middle
meant to us, we announce the passing of our provides services like coun- ten struggle to find slots in of the 24-day program. While
beloved: seling, transportation, inter- affordable summer enrich- some parents said they were
net access and other resourc- ment programs, where de- simply no longer interested,
es, ensuring participation in mand can readily outpace the staff members contacted each
school programs. number of available seats. family if a student missed
three consecutive days to
In the rural district, commu- The dramatically expanded provide any support needed
nity schools director Michael number of seats available in case the student wanted to
Noll said, some families don’t through school districts this return.
own a car. Some who do have year eased some of those
periods where they can’t af- pressures, and targeted out- Williams said that while there
ford gas. And others are often reach policies aimed to get were limits to what could be
juggling work and child care, high-needs students into done, she hoped the experi-
unable to constantly shep- those slots. ence would go beyond teach-
herd kids back and forth. ing content and help students
Charlotte-Mecklenburg make the transition back to
The district runs three buses Schools typically does not in-person learning.
to make sure those 50 kids host a summer session, but
can attend. Like many fami- offered more than 30,000 “A percentage of our kids
lies in these rural foothills of slots this year to any student who are attending summer
the Rocky Mountains, social interested and saw an average camp were full-remote kids
Ms. Leanor Louise Carfano worker Carmen Lyn Romero daily attendance of around during the school year,” Wil-
liams said. “Having them in
15,000.
lives on a dirt road too nar-
Betterknown as “Lee” row for a school bus. school this summer is a way
*06-05-1949 - †05-08-2021 While any student could sign to reacclimate them to school
Romero, who balanced tak- up and get a seat, the district life with new processes and
Place and date of farewell will be ing care of her five children identified those with Ds or socialization that they’re go-
announced later with serving nearby tribal Fs in core classes, students ing to have with their peers.”
reservation Picuris Pueblo, with unstable housing or