In a white paper published in May 2022 by North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction Office of Learning Recovery & Acceleration, educational leaders determined that students with learning gaps in reading and math would require several additional months of instruction to meet grade-level standards. While state-level educational leaders have encouraged district and school leaders to identify and adopt school-based intervention programs to close these gaps, students requiring remediation may not possess the non-academic competencies required to benefit from these interventions. A preponderance of research has identified several non-academic competencies as moderators for academic engagement and achievement: attention/focus, higher-order cognition, social cognition, intrinsic motivation, and academic self-confidence. Yet, many teachers may be too pressed for subject-specific instructional time to include activities that support the development of these vital competencies. Hidden Heroes Enrichment Camp is an educational initiative that positioned community stakeholders to support schools in their efforts to develop in students the competencies needed to access learning. Offered as a one-week camp, this initiative leveraged community resources to help students develop these competencies by positioning campers as modern-day heroes and immersing them in engaging real-world problem-solving experiences. A pilot of this camp conducted in June 2022 demonstrated initial program success as many campers displayed growth in at least one competency. As community stakeholders become increasingly empowered to support school-based academic initiatives, students and teachers should see improved outcomes for school-based intervention.

Authors:
Jane Reddick, Alpharetta High School, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Jane Reddick teaches in the general and special education classroom at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. Her research interests include faculty-student mentoring relationships and community-based educational partnerships.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/s-jane-reddick-293ba65/

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