Higher Education Summer programs for High School Students and Teachers
The newest academic outreach to secondary education is summer programs for high school students and, separately, high school instructors.
Summer Programs for High School Students
Pre-college programs can be found at most elite universities and offer students opportunities to live on campus, engage with an academic interest, and work in a small cohort with a university/college professor. There are usually many additional opportunities for students to explore new academic areas and develop socially. Pre-college summer programs are open to gifted and talented students, first-generation students, gap-year students, and those students simply looking to explore (an academic major and even a college campus).
Universities/colleges benefit by increasing activity on campus during the summer, extending the reputation of the college and academic department, potentially recruiting students, and earning revenue for the college during summer.
Benefits include:
- University Outreach – Open your doors to students for a summer experience, welcome them into your house. Not only
- Departmental Outreach – Extend the reputation of your departments to grow majors.
- Engage with First Generation Students – Some of the most effective outreach comes from welcoming first generation students to campus to help breakdown barriers and support a successful transition to college.
Students and parents benefit by testing the college experience in a protective environment with professionals who know how to work with students. Students can earn college credit or simply explore in a low-risk non-credit opportunity.
Summer Programs for High School Instructors
University summer programs for high school teachers are usually thematic and can include a focus on teaching gifted and talented students, STEM academies, certificate programs, and offering specialized graduate courses intended for secondary education teachers. These are great opportunities to open your campus over the summer to professionals looking to build their craft and themselves.
Benefits to the university/college include:
- Be a destination for summer learning – Discipline-specific professional development is often the hardest to find for a high school instructor. Gifted and Talented, STEM Teaching Camps, and more. Be a summer destination for instructors
- Offer graduate courses that supports high school promotion – Why would a high school instructor take graduate courses over the summer? Two reasons: Interest and professional progression. Develop courses and certificate programs with that in mind.
- Support your Research Scholars – Major research grants, like from the National Science Foundation (NSF), require “broader impacts” as part of a successful application. Broader impacts are the outreach and education dissemination plans connected to your team’s research. Offer summer programs that train-the-trainer with your cutting edge research.
Leaders need to lead – show your investment in the community and reap the rewards.
Olive Shade Higher Education Consulting, LLC 