“In a rural community, summer programs are exceptionally important for students. Access and resource availability are limited here, which hinders students’ ability to continue learning and participating in extracurricular activities during the summer months. ELO-P allows us to provide programs in the community that are vital to supporting students during non-school days. It also allows us to invest in our staff by creating opportunities for everyone to get more out of summer.”
–DSLN participant
Overview
DSLN districts are urban and rural, large and small, representing 36 states from each region of the country. Because they know the power of summer learning to support students, each year they choose an audacious goal for advancing summer learning that reflects their unique needs and opportunities. In this section we spotlight nine districts that have seen exceptional results in implementing evidence-based practices and the DSLN pillars in different contexts. Check our their successes and find suggestions for how you can take action to strengthen your summer learning program.
Summer learning inspiration
- All
- Rural District
- Urban District
- <3,000 District Enrollment
- 9,000-11,000 District Enrollment
- 17,000-19,000 District Enrollment
- 41,000-45,000 District Enrollment
- Staff Development
- Community
- Data Collection
- Student and Family Voice
- Elementary
- Middle
- High
- Partnerships
- Enrichment
- Career
- Academics
New Rochelle (NY) builds community
Read how one district fostered connections between students from different neighborhoods.
Hampton County's (SC) community ties help students thrive
Read about the power of partnerships for summer learning.
Wayne County (NC) connects middle schoolers to future paths
Read how student surveys guided this district to include more enrichment opportunities.
Hayward (CA) helps high school students thrive in summer
Learn more about this district’s summer youth employment program.
Portland (OR) strives to transform literacy outcomes
Find out how Portland uses summer learning to support literacy.
Newark (NJ) focuses on academic quality in summer
See how summer can be a learning lab for students and staff.
Mountain Empire (CA) finds summer leaders in its own backyard
See how this small rural district strategically recruited and built staff capacity to improve their summer programs.
Bloomington (MN) supports multilingual learners
Read how Bloomington created a vision for multilingual learners and community-building practices to benefit all summer program students.
Stigler (OK) expands reach and data collection with the Choctaw Nation
See how this rural district built a partnership to help reach all students and track their progress.
Want to learn more about being a part of the network?
Find out how DSLN can help you improve your summer programs. Email us at summerlearning@fhi360.org.
District Summer Learning Network
From 2021–2025, FHI 360 built a network of over 100 districts and states to transform summer learning across the country. Big changes happened.
Find out how DSLN’s insights can help you.
