A comprehensive evaluation plan is critical to summer program quality and sustainability, and will provide you with a 360-degree view to identify program strengths as well as opportunities to improve in future summers. Use this guide to create evaluation plans that are aligned to research and evidence and better understand your impact, reflect on quality, identify program strengths and challenges, and develop processes for continuous improvement and long-term sustainability.

This checklist will help summer learning program leaders plan and execute site visits so that guests leave the experience feeling enthusiastic about your impact and invested in the long-term success of your program.

Tasked with planning and implementing remote learning for over 55 million children in the U.S. in the wake of COVID-19 school closures, districts and teachers relied heavily on families to support youth learning. SCRI discovered that remote summer programs using the BellXcel model were able to established supportive and consistent relationships between staff and families which empowered families to support their children’s learning. Staff integrated high-quality family engagement strategies throughout the program which included frequent communication and meaningful outreach to support participants.

This tool guides summer learning leaders through a series of questions to help you prepare for Day 1 / Week 1 and avoid common missteps.

This Companion Guide helps districts and youth development providers identify and apply evidence and insights from the study “The Promise of Summer as a Time for Teacher Professional Development” to ensure meaningful and high-quality summer PD. The PD Planning Tool helps summer learning providers align professional development opportunities with program goals and determine new strategies, techniques, and skills they would like to further develop with their staff.

SCRI conducted a mixed-methods analysis to learn about the scholar experience in a remote learning environment with the revised social and emotional learning (SEL) focus and to see how scholars, in their own words, described their SE growth over the summer. The analysis revealed a wealth of insights about how BellXcel Remote’s SEL programming positively impacted scholars and showed how participation in BellXcel Remote led to improved relationships, increased confidence, strengthened growth mindset, improved self regulation and engagement, and better routines and schedules.