Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched a $50 million initiative to expand summer programming among New York City charter schools on Monday, an effort he said was meant to close learning gaps widened by the pandemic.
The initiative, called “Summer Boost,” will allow any of the city’s charter schools to apply for grant funding to bolster their existing summer programs or launch new ones. The privately funded effort is slated to reach 25,000 students in grades K-8, about 18% of those currently enrolled in city charter schools.
“What we’re talking about today is the educational equivalent of long COVID,” Bloomberg said, referring to pandemic disruptions to student learning. “The good news is we know how to treat it: extra help and intensive instruction.”
