Engaging Young Readers: From Summer Slide to Summer Success with Ben Tollefson

On this episode of Connecting Communities, host Leah Verier-Dunn sat with Ben Tollefson, consultant with The Patterson Foundation, to discuss the Suncoast Campaign for Grade Level Reading’s THIS BOOK IS COOL! program. The summer slide is a real concern, particularly for our asset-limited families. Research spanning more than a century has shown that students can experience academic learning loss over the summer when they are not engaged in educational activities.These losses can widen existing achievement gaps, making it even more difficult for students to stay on track academically. Without intervention, students may fall further behind year after year. SCGLR creates opportunities to prevent the “summer slide” and help close the achievement gap.Timestamps 00:30 – Meet THIS BOOK IS COOL!01:28 – How a Simple Idea Became THIS BOOK IS COOL!04:09 – Combating the Summer Slide Through Reading06:59 – Who the Program Serves and Why It Matters09:36 – What’s Inside a THIS BOOK IS COOL! Backpack16:48 – Getting Started: Ben’s Tips for FamiliesLinks to Learn More Season of Sharing (Community Foundation of Sarasota)THIS BOOK IS COOL! Webisode LibrarySuncoast Campaign for Grade Level Reading (SCGLR)Want to hear more? Follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or visit us Beyond The Blog!Join The Journey