Abstracts
Abstract
Can summer programs, as remedial supplements to regular schooling, extend learning opportunities and other benefits to disadvantaged students? To frame this question, we compare logics from “social reproduction” and “partial compensation” perspectives, and then apply them to a large mixed method study of four kinds of summer programs in Ontario. Drawing on quantitative data on over 10,000 students and qualitative data from interviews with over 200 teachers and parents, we examined patterns of student recruitment and participation, social valuations, and academic outcomes. We found that all summer programs successfully recruited disadvantaged students without stigmatizing them, and raised their average achievement without widening pre-existing gaps. We interpret these findings as being consistent with the “partial compensation” perspective, and discuss related policy implications that include COVID-19 learning recovery strategies.
Keywords:
- summer programs,
- summer learning,
- achievement gaps,
- educational stratification
Résumé
Les programmes d’été, comme activités complémentaires de rattrapage, peuvent-ils offrir des possibilités d’apprentissage ou d’autres avantages aux élèves défavorisés ? Pour comprendre cette question, nous comparons les logiques des perspectives de « reproduction sociale » et de « compensation partielle », pour les appliquer à une vaste étude mixte portant sur quatre types de programmes d’été offerts en Ontario. À partir de données quantitatives provenant de plus de 10 000 élèves et de données qualitatives issues d’entretiens avec plus de 200 enseignants et parents, nous avons examiné les tendances de recrutement et de participation des élèves, de l’appréciation sociale des programmes et des résultats scolaires. Nous avons constaté que tous les programmes d’été recrutaient bien des élèves défavorisés sans les stigmatiser, et qu’ils étaient associés à des augmentations de leur rendement moyen sans creuser les écarts préexistants. Nous interprétons ces résultats comme soutenant la perspective de « compensation partielle » et discutons des implications politiques connexes.
Mots-clés :
- programmes d’été,
- apprentissage d’été,
- écarts de réussite,
- stratification scolaire
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Appendices
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