Every June, the conversation starts again.
Teachers worry about summer learning loss. Parents buy workbooks they hope their children will actually open. Schools share reading lists and encourage students to keep practicing math facts before August rolls around.
There’s nothing wrong with any of that. Academics matter.
But lately, I’ve found myself thinking about something else.
What happens when students lose the connections that help them feel seen, supported, and part of a community?
During the school year, children spend nearly every day surrounded by people who know them. Teachers notice when they’re struggling. Friends save them a seat at lunch. Coaches encourage them after a tough game. Librarians remember what books they like to read. Even the bus driver notices when they’re absent.
Those connections may seem small, but they add up, and for those who lack support at home, these connections are sorely missed.
For many students, school provides more than instruction. It provides routine, stability, encouragement, and a sense of belonging.
Then summer arrives.
For some children, summer is filled with vacations, camps, sports, church activities, and family adventures. For others, it can be a much quieter season. The structure disappears. The daily interactions disappear. The adults who regularly check in on them disappear.
That’s why I wonder if we’ve been looking at summer through too narrow a lens.
Yes, students may forget some of what they learned in the classroom. Research has shown that academic skills can slip during extended breaks, particularly for students with fewer opportunities for enrichment in the summer months.
But what if the bigger challenge isn’t what students forget?
What if it’s who they lose touch with?
Gallup research has consistently found that students who feel connected at school are more engaged and more likely to thrive. That shouldn’t surprise us. Most adults know what it feels like to do their best work when they feel valued and supported.
Kids aren’t any different.
As educators prepare for a new school year, perhaps it’s worth expanding the conversation beyond reading scores and math benchmarks.
How do we help students stay connected to their school communities during the summer months? How do we support families without overwhelming them? How do we create opportunities for students to continue building relationships even when school is out?
The answers will look different in every community.
Sometimes it’s a library program. Sometimes it’s a summer camp. Sometimes it’s a community organization, a church, a mentoring program, or a simple check-in from a trusted adult.
And yes, technology can help—but only when it helps people connect with people.
This is also where education partners have an opportunity to make a meaningful difference. Whether through summer enrichment programs, tutoring services, family engagement tools, community partnerships, or communication platforms, the most effective solutions won’t simply deliver content. They’ll help strengthen connections.
Because when students walk back into school this fall, they won’t just be carrying what they learned over the summer.
They’ll also be carrying the experiences, relationships, and sense of belonging they found—or didn’t find—along the way.
And that may be just as important.
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Meredith Biesinger is a licensed dyslexia therapist, in addition to being an experienced classroom teacher and K-12 administrator. Meredith also works as a consultant, where she bridges the bridge the gap between K-12 school districts and ed-tech organizations. With a passion for literacy, she is also a professional writer and syndicated author. With a M.Ed in Educational Leadership and a B.S. in English Education and Creative Writing, she has had rich and diverse opportunities to teach students and education professionals in different parts of the country as well as overseas.
A few weeks ago, I watched a group of students instinctively reach for a screen to complete a task that, not that long ago, would have required a piece of paper and a pencil.
It made me wonder.
After years of pushing technology into nearly every corner of education, are we finally starting to ask whether more technology always equals better learning?
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