Higher Achievement Speakers Featured at Senate Briefing
Washington, DC – July 14, 2006: Higher Achievement announced today that Executive Director Maureen Holla and one of the organization’s program graduates, 15-year-old Kristian Smith, were invited to speak at a special event highlighting National Summer Learning Day. The briefing, entitled "Creating Opportunities for High-Quality Summer Learning," was sponsored by Senators Barack Obama (D-Illinois) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland). The event was held Thursday, July 13, beginning at 12:00 noon in 138 Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. National Summer Learning Day was established to showcase the importance of the continuity of educational exploration and skill building for students over the summer months when school is not in session. Higher Achievement, a strong proponent of rigorous academic enrichment activities during the summer and after school during the school year, is the 2006 winner of the John Hopkins University Excellence in Summer Learning Award. Research that informs Higher Achievement quantifies the impact of summer learning loss:
All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months.
Low-income children and youth experience greater summer learning losses than their higher income peers Summer learning loss contributes to the achievement gap in reading performance between lower and higher income children and youth. "At Higher Achievement, we are committed to helping disadvantaged middle school students realize high academic gains during the school year and especially during the summer by offering challenging academic coursework and intensive mentoring," said Ms. Holla. "Research shows that students from underserved areas are more affected by the summer interruption of their studies. Higher Achievement’s intense summer-long academies expose students to high level academics that close the achievement gap while enabling our scholars to leverage all educational opportunities."
As an alumnus of Higher Achievement, Mr. Smith is well-acquainted with the need to maintain access to learning opportunities over the summer. He is currently an intern in DC Councilmember Jim Graham’s office, he is a frequent speaker at Higher Achievement events, and he will be a 10th grader at Gonzaga College High School in the fall. Mr. Smith and Ms. Holla will be available for questions at the end of the briefing.
