Whether it’s called the “summer brain drain” or the “summer slide,”
educators know that kids can forget some of what they have learned over the summer.
To help keep students from losing ground academically, the Duke Energy Foundation is investing approximately $18,560 in Bradie Shrum Elementary youth to help maintain and improve reading levels over the summer.
Principal Brent Minton actually wrote the grant.
“This is the second year in a row we’ve applied for the grant,” said Minton. “We received it, which will help pay for summer school for students. It will allow them to come to summer school free of charge, they get free books, get transportation and all that’s taken care of.”
Minton said it will help prevent the loss of retention of reading progress students make 
over the summer.
over the summer. The program is one of 24 that received Duke Energy Foundation grants for summer and school-year reading initiatives. This grant is part of an approximately $400,000
investment the Duke Energy Foundation is making statewide in school literacy
programs.
It’s the fourth consecutive year the company has invested in statewide youth
literacy.
“Summer programs not only help kids retain what they’ve learned, but they can also
help close achievement gaps,” said Duke Energy Community Relations Manager Bruce Calloway. “Developing young, good readers is fundamental to success in school and later in life.”
The grant will fund the “Sounds of Summer” reading program for first and second
graders. Teachers will design individual reading plans for each child in the program.
Facts on reading and education from the National Summer Learning Association:
- About nine out of 10 teachers will spend as much as three weeks on review because of summer learning loss.
- Most students lose two months of mathematical skills every summer, and low-income children typically lose another two to three months in reading.
Duke Energy Indiana’s operations provide about 6,800 megawatts of owned electric
capacity to approximately 820,000 customers in a 23,000-square- mile service area,
making it the state’s largest electric supplier.
In Indiana, the Duke Energy Foundation invests approximately $2 million annually for community support and charitable contributions. To learn more about Duke Energy Foundation, visit www.duke-energy.com/community.
