Dive Brief:

• Students all over the country have shelled out big bucks for summer school classes that allow them to “preview” a course they’ll take this year or get credit now and move on to a more challenging course later.
• The New York Times reports the summer work gives students an opportunity to beef up their college applications with extra Advanced Placement classes or higher grades — both expected if they get credits during the summer or early practice with a subject.
• Some educators think it’s better for students to get a break during the summer and focus on activities other than academics, and there is some criticism over the value of packing an entire semester of content into four or six weeks.  

Dive Insight:

Top colleges are getting increasingly hard to get into. Today’s students have to do more to prove they’re worthy, and some families turn it into an obsession. The pressure has negative consequences on students, perhaps one reason why the gap year is becoming more popular. After students make it through the stress of the final years of high school, they need a break before diving into the pressure of college, where every grade contributes to a potential graduate school application.

Some schools that do offer these summer courses take advantage of the revenue they bring in. This can help in an era of tight budgets and intense competition among schools in many cities with traditional public, charter and private options. Another criticism, however, is that this type of opportunity only helps families who can afford it, pushing lower-income families even further behind in the college application game. 

Recommended Reading

The New York Times: Taking Summer School to Get Ahead, Not Catch Up