CASE STUDIES

Philadelphia Public School District Successes

How Springboard's Summer Literacy program increased instructional time and family engagement in rural Mississippi.

District Profile

Location

Philadelphia, MS

District Enrollment:

767 students

Springboard Program Enrollment

60 K-3 students served

School Demographics:

85.7% African American
9.1% White

3.9% multiracial

1.3% Hispanic

1% Asian/Pacific Islander
100% low income

Overview

Learning disruption from the pandemic has been an uphill battle for schools nationwide, and for rural communities like Philadelphia Public School District (PPSD) in Mississippi, the challenge was compounded by limited access to technology and long commutes to school. PPSD wanted to increase instructional time, with a particular focus on third-grade students who had not passed the third-grade end-of-year reading benchmark, and to engage families in an accessible way.

PPSD partnered with Springboard Collaborative on a Summer Literacy program built around the Family-Educator Learning Accelerator (FELA) methodology. Over 60 K-3 students enrolled, in a town with a population of just under 7,000. Because many families had limited transportation and worked multiple jobs, family workshops were held virtually, and Springboard created a paper version of its Connect tool for families, including grandparent caregivers, who were not comfortable with the SMS- and web-based version.

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Challenges

Post-COVID Learning Disruption in a Rural Community

Pandemic-related learning disruption has been difficult for schools nationwide, and particularly so for rural communities like PPSD, where families face limited access to technology and longer commutes to school.

Third-Grade Reading Gaps

PPSD wanted to increase instructional time for students, with a specific focus on third graders who had not passed the third-grade end-of-year reading benchmark.

Barriers to Accessible Family Engagement

PPSD wanted to engage families in their children's learning, but many families faced limited transportation and worked multiple jobs, making accessibility a central design constraint.

Solution

A FELA-Based Summer Literacy Program

KPPSD selected Springboard's Summer Literacy offering, built around the Family-Educator Learning Accelerator (FELA) methodology, with alternating lesson blocks of Reading Readiness and phonics, writing, small-group instruction, read-alouds, and shared reading. Springboard's program team also conducted pre-program professional development for teachers and leaders.

Accessible, Community-Centered Planning

Springboard's Program team met weekly to plan around PPSD's needs. Because many families had limited transportation and worked multiple jobs, family workshops were held virtually, and Springboard created a paper version of its Connect tool for families, including grandparent caregivers, who were not comfortable with the SMS- and web-based version.

Recruitment Centered on Basic Needs

Program leaders and teachers recruited families through personal phone calls, in addition to fliers and social media. Providing bus transportation, free meals, elective classes, and a free closing field trip helped build a cohort of more than 60 K-3 students in a town with a population of just under 7,000.

Structured Implementation and Weekly Family Workshops

Teachers took part in professional development on family engagement and the DIBELS assessment tool. Students received instruction from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., five days a week, plus breakfast, lunch, and an electives class, while weekly virtual family workshops let families practice reading strategies with their children and check in on progress.

Growth at Philadelphia Public School District

Students enrolled

50%

More reading growth than expected among third graders over 5 weeks

80%

Met attendance goals

“My daughter was excited to go to the program each day, talked about what she learned, and has become a more confident reader. Her reading skills are much better!”

Parent
Philadelphia Public School District

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