Education Week - June 21, 2017 - 23

Learning
Disabilities Exist,
Just Not in
Summer School

here is a fragile calm in my afternoon, two-hour-long summer school
class. I'm talking to a 19-year-old
senior. She has been absent for 12
straight days. "I've been having lots
of family problems," she explains,
along with a brief remark about
her struggles with a mental-health
issue. While I bring her up to date on the assignment, a student across the room translates work
for three recently immigrated Dominican students who have been confused every day of summer school so far. A student with autism plays a
math game on a laptop (a solution endorsed by his
principal) because he does not understand the assignment about figurative language. In the front,
seven students work diligently despite having a 50
percent attendance rate.
Suddenly, a 15-year-old girl stands up, slams her
chair onto the floor, and screams at another girl, who
reciprocates with insults. I lunge over to hold her
back, while a dozen students yell about the almostfight. Moments later, a dean and the principal burst
into the classroom to grab the two students. They
pull them out of the room and later decide that they
will not be allowed back into summer school this
year.
Those five scenarios all happened in my 10 years
teaching summer school classes, just not at the same
time. A majority of the students in these scenarios
show symptoms and evidence of trauma, neglect,
literacy struggles, and academic deficiencies that
limit their learning. I've taught English, U.S. history,
and global history at 15 different high schools, as
schools often combine for summer classes. At most,
30 percent of the students on my original roster earn
a credit, because too many students stop attending
class regularly, give up before completing assignments, and ultimately fail to earn credits.
I've noticed three structural problems that cause
students to fail in the summer. The first is class size
and period length. In my experience, summer school
rosters begin with 50 to 80 students, way above the
average class during the regular school year in New
York City, where I teach. These numbers are based
on the fact that many students never show up, an
assumption that is usually true. However, when 35
to 50 students do show up, and we don't have enough
chairs, a frantic reshuffling ensues. Even with 30 students in attendance, it frustrates those who know
they need individual support. These classes are also
longer than they are during the school year, in order
to give students the necessary seat time for a credit.
In a two-hour class, with 30 students, I can give
four minutes of individual attention to each student; but when students wait dozens of minutes
for a teacher's help, they feel lost, discouraged, and
frustrated. Consequently, many students slowly stop
attending class, don't work as diligently, and ultimately fail to earn the credits they need. During the
regular school year, these problems are mitigated by
co-teachers. Which connects to the second problem.
During the summer, we are not required to provide the same services for students with disabili-

Getty

By Adam Feinberg

I've noticed three structural problems that
cause students to fail in the summer."
ties or English-language learners as we are during
the school year. Sometimes, over half my summer
school students have individualized education programs requiring two teachers, extended time on assignments, and other supports. On each student's
IEP, there is the option, though, for the student to
receive services for 10 months or 12 months. Every
single one of my students' IEPs that I've seen has
"10 months" checked. This inexplicably assumes
that their learning disability is not a hindrance
to learning in summer school. And this is just for
students at my home school-if we are combining
with another high school for the summer, it is rare
that I have access to a student's IEP. Beyond learning issues, students who suffer from emotional
disturbance cannot receive mandated counseling.
Which is the third problem.
We don't have guidance counselors or social
workers at summer school. Emotional disturbances can be caused by genetics, brain disorders,
diet, stressors, abuse, neglect, and much more. Behaviors including hyperactivity, aggression, withdrawal, immaturity, and post-traumatic stress
disorder are by no means limited to the months
between September and June. Teachers, deans, and
administrators cannot provide adequate counseling to prevent or mitigate a student's emotional
outburst, breakdown, or conflict.
Despite our greatest efforts, counseling works
best with someone who establishes near unconditional trust. Teachers have to give uncomfortable
and sometimes critical feedback, while deans and
principals-the first and last lines of defense for
student discipline, respectively-have to punish
students. So how can we also gain students' trust
to help them deal with their emotions? You can't
make a person feel uncomfortable and then expect
unconditional trust-that would be role confusion.
Social workers and guidance counselors are specifically trained to give these students the right
kinds of supports. Without a trusted counselor,

students can feel rejected, which results in their
shutting down and not learning.
I'm shocked that parents of English-learners or
students with IEPs haven't complained loudly or
litigiously, because there is clearly evidence that
it might be illegal under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to deny students these services during the summer. The result is a lack of
learning, roadblocks to accumulating credits, and
a failure to graduate in four years.
There's got to be a better way to make summer school worthwhile for teachers and students.
If only a third of the students scheduled for my
classes earn passing grades, this is a terrible return on investment for paying teachers and deans
to work during the summer. Moreover, when students fall behind and have emotional or social
problems, they often don't finish high school.
If we invested in more teachers and a few counselors year round, I predict more students would
attend classes, complete assignments, develop
skills, and accrue credits, thus improving the
graduation rate. There are many ideas out there
for how to improve the pedagogy of summer school,
but first we need to replicate those supports that
exist during the regular year.
In New York City, schools are legally required
to have guidance counselors, social workers, special education teachers, English-as-a-second-language teachers, and paraprofessionals. Those jobs
and roles matter. It is unethical, counterproductive, and possibly illegal for students with special
learning needs to lack these services. Would you
send your own child to a school without guidance
counselors, social workers, special education teachers, ESL teachers, or paraprofessionals? If you answered no, then why do we deny these supports
during summer school? n
ADAM FEINBERG is an 11th-year teacher in the New York City
public schools. He has taught summer school for 10 years.

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