This study evaluated the effectiveness of Camp Invention, a hands-on creativity and science day camp run in partnership with about 400 schools nationwide. A survey of 17,526 campers, parents, and staff supported the positive impact of Camp Invention for both boys and girls, in urban and suburban settings, and on attitudes towards creativity,…

The successful summer day camp program of Saint Louis University (Missouri) is described. Program rationale, philosophy, objectives, structure, staffing, activities, and benefits to the university community are discussed. A majority of the children served by the camp are the children, ages 6 to 12, of university employees. (MSE)

Many urban schools should be called cafeterias, recreation centers, or community centers, because more time is spent eating, playing, and socializing than on teaching and learning. "Schools" are day camps with compliant attendees or custodial centers with involuntarily managed inmates. Teacher effectiveness turns solely on classroom-management…

During the summer vacation children who are economically disadvantaged experience declines in reading achievement, while middle- and high-income children improve. Previous research has demonstrated that the most widely implemented intervention -- sending economically disadvantaged students to summer school -- has not led to increases in reading…

This article describes Camp Invention, a summer one-week day camp program for students in grades 2-6 that is designed to develop creativity in gifted students. The curriculum of the camp features hands-on, interactive activities in science, history, math, and the arts. Examples of activities undertaken in 2001 are provided. (Contains one…

This study is about the impact on students and their families when students used computers in a "summer camp" setting and when computers were introduced into the homes of students who normally could not afford to buy them. The computer camp project involved minority group students 8 to 10 years of age, in 2-hour sessions, 5 days a week…

Describes survey made as part of Youth Conservation Corps evaluation. Compares personal benefits of residential camping with benefits of nonresidential camps. Concludes residential participants benefited in different ways and to greater extent than nonresidential campers. Residential camping benefits measurable at least nine months after…

In this series of articles, I explore the history of "Jewish Education" magazine with particular emphasis on its intersection with the history of American Jewish education and American Jewish life more generally. I isolate major themes and issues that preoccupied the magazine's editors and writers, and analyze how their discourse sheds light on…

The goal of this study was to take a first step in evaluating the potential of virtual reality (VR) as a learning environment. The context of the study was The Technology Academy, a technology-oriented summer day camp for students ages 5-18, where student activities center around hands-on exploration of new technology (e.g., robotics, MIDI digital…

The extent and quality of school-to-work (STW) programs in the state of Washington were evaluated through a survey of all school districts receiving state STW funds and case studies of programs in four school districts (Bethel, Methow, Sumner, and Wapato), one consortium (Columbia River School-to-Work Consortium in Clark County), and two…

Describes study of 837 campers aged 8-13 at 1 day and 5 residential camps, 546 parents, and 274 counselors to document effect of camp experiences on group-living/interpersonal skills, prosocial outlook, outdoor living skills, personal enjoyment, and environmental appreciation/understanding. Three figures show survey results, four photographs of…

Designed as a pilot program, a 5-day arts day-camp held at Illinois Valley Community College for 44 fifth and sixth graders during summer 1981 provided a model approach to interrelating the arts. A thematic structure allowed experiences in visual arts, dance, drama, and music with faculty who had multi-arts experience as well as specialization in…

For the purpose of this report, adult education is assumed to have the following characteristics: (1) It is carried on voluntarily and during the leisure time of a mature individual; and (2) The study is seriously undertaken and is pursued under guidance. During the past biennium there has been much activity in the field of adult education. The…

The word "summer" brings to mind images of a relaxed, unstructured season--a time markedly different from other seasons of the year. In the United States, we have a particularly entrenched notion that summer is different--a notion reflected in popular assumptions about summer as a "break" and reinforced by carefree depictions…