46 - Voices from the West: A qualitative evaluation of ESSER-funded summer learning programs in rural high schools

Abstract Information:

Background: North Carolina (NC) received over $3.6 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students and educators across the state. The NC State Board of Education (NCSBE) allocated funds to support short-cycle formative qualitative evaluations of school extension programs, to move beyond legislative outcomes and better understand what works, for whom, and in what contexts. To this end, we conducted a study of implementation activities, facilitators, inhibitors, and perceived impacts of three school extension programs - Summer Academy, Summer Bridge, and Career Accelerator - within high schools in the primarily rural region of Western NC.

Research Questions:
RQ1: What were the core program components and implementation characteristics of ESSER-funded summer programs for learning recovery and acceleration in rural high schools?
RQ2: To what extent do staff and students perceive these programs as achieving their desired academic and social emotional learning outcomes?
RQ3: What do staff identify as the enabling and inhibiting conditions for the successful implementation of summer learning recovery and acceleration programs in rural high schools?

Study

Design: We developed this evaluation as a single case study with an embedded design. We approached school extension programming as our case, with eleven districts in Western NC as our embedded units of analyses in years 2021 and 2022. Drawing on a single case study with an embedded design fostered continued examination of the activities and events that comprise summer programming within the western geographical context. We leveraged interviews, focus groups, and surveys to examine how staff, students, and district administrators designed, implemented, and experienced these programs.

Findings: The majority of staff and administrators expressed that summer programs were effective in the areas of credit recovery, supplementing academic skills, improving student mindset and readiness, and strengthening teacher-student and peer relationships.

Our study illuminated several findings with particular relevance for rural high schools, including:
- Some schools and districts considered their summer program to primarily be a source of social and emotional support for geographically isolated students that may not have seen their peers since schools closed in March 2020. A common theme was that staff-student relationship building and trust should be prioritized before attempting any academic interventions.
- District and school leaders identified the historical “brain drain” in rural areas. They emphasized the value of the Career Accelerator program for highlighting local employment options, particularly through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) track, with the greatest impact coming from onsite experiential learning.
- Credit recovery functioned as a dropout prevention mechanism. This was particularly salient in economically distressed areas, where a delayed graduation date may not be tenable due to expectations around contributing to household income.
- Transportation was the most commonly cited ‘critical component’ for rural schools, with interviewees naming that the geographic spread within their communities often inhibited participation by students who could benefit most. Participants universally asserted that the number of students benefiting from summer programs in rural areas will decrease once ESSER funds are depleted.