Chicago Public Schools Students Open Books and Minds Through Summer Reading

Chicago Public Schools Students Open Books and Minds Through Summer Reading

Summer programs available until July 26 throughout Chicago

CHICAGO - As Chicago Public Schools’ students enjoy the second week of summer vacation, officials are reminding families and students of the many summer reading and literacy programs and resources across the city. Opening a book is another way to keep minds open and ready to learn when school resumes on Aug. 26.

“Amid historic elementary grade-level gains in literacy, it’s imperative we continue trending upward by hosting robust programming and opportunities across our schools,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “Our students continue to prove they are eager to learn and excel as they apply their skills and talents in the classroom and beyond.”

The CPS Department of Literacy is committed to supporting teachers and schools in providing literacy instruction to every CPS student that builds on students’ lived experiences, capitalizes on their cultural and linguistic assets, and requires students to reason deeply and problem solve creatively.

Schools across the District will continue summer literacy programming and initiatives. At William Howard Taft High School, the faculty opened “Cafe Relaxation” last week for fourth through sixth graders. The school has converted a classroom into a cafe-like environment with glass walls, replete with bean bag chairs, chess boards, a record player and accent lamps. A cafe wall has been prepped for student artwork and a vision board. Students will be invited to read, play board games, curate murals and enjoy arts and craft stations at the cafe which will remain open until July 25th. Northwest side families (with fourth through sixth graders) can register for Cafe Relaxation on the school’s website here.

Lane Tech College Prep revamped their English summer reading program to ensure that it was equitable in terms of how it would impact students' grades when they return for the upcoming school year. School officials created additional resources for students that cover a broad variety of topics to help continue fostering an appreciation of the English language arts. The school’s English department is updating its website to provide self-directed enrichment options to help students avoid summer learning loss.

Meanwhile, the District’s Virtual Academy is collaborating with Rudyard Kipling Elementary School in Princeton Park to launch a virtual literacy intervention program aimed to increase literacy and reading skills.

Research suggests summer learning and reading provides opportunities for enrichment and academic acceleration that supports continued social, emotional and academic growth. A 2016 study, “Learning from Summer: Effects of Voluntary Summer Learning Programs on Low-Income Urban Youth,” suggests that voluntary participation in summer literacy programs accounts for annual gains (20-25 percent) in reading and math achievement, along with mitigating summer learning loss.

The District’s libraries team offers a collection of high quality resources via the Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Digital Learning. The collection of materials, which can be found at library.cps.edu, includes over 10,000 high-quality, culturally relevant e-books for all ages, as well as subscription databases for non-fiction reading, including Britannica Encyclopedia Online, Pebble Go for early learners, and Gale In Context for news articles and other current events topics.

Summer Bridge and other District summer programming will leverage the CPS audiobook collection, Learning Ally. Learning Ally audiobooks can be accessed by all students and staff throughout the summer by visiting safari.cps.edu and searching for the title of the book they are interested in.

At Marie Curie Metro High School, school staff hosts “Sophomore LEAD,” a three-week program that builds confidence and leadership skills through literacy, Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and study skills. School-based staff including the school librarian, counselor and bilingual science teacher designed the program.

Comprehensive summer programs will run through July 26 at hundreds of CPS locations where students can access extra academic and social and emotional support, explore new skills and stay connected to peers and their school communities so that they are ready and confident when the 2024–25 school year begins Aug. 26.

Registration is still open and can be found on the CPS website at https://www.cps.edu/campaigns/summer-programs.

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