Building Relationships and Community Online: Strategies Based on Breakthrough Collaborative's National 2020 Virtual Summer Program

Alex Serna & Jee Deogracias

When you walk into the middle school summer program for any of Breakthrough Collaborative's 24 affiliate sites across the country, whether in Miami or Sacramento, you immediately recognize something unique and special. In San Juan Capistrano, if you walk into Sillers Hall, where students and staff gather to eat, you'll be taken aback by 136 students cheering and chanting in unison (let's be honest, these are middle school students who in their natural environment aren't the most inclined to want to do cheers). It is quite a sight. That energy and community never falters throughout the six-week summer program,  which aims to reverse the summer learning slide, prepares our students for college, and builds community. In addition to supporting highly motivated, traditionally underrepresented students, Breakthrough also empowers and trains college-aged students (referred to as “teaching fellows”) to become the next generation of educators and advocates.

Going into our 2020 summer program amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, affiliates were forced to find alternatives to in-person programming. The situation left Breakthrough leadership with a huge challenge: how do we recreate the energy, spirit, and community of a 40-year-old, in-person program to a virtual setting? 

Like many others who embarked on online learning for the first time this past spring, we were initially apprehensive. Several critical questions were looming which would determine the program’s outcome: Will students show up? Will they show up consistently? Will they have technology tools at home to participate? Will we prepare students for the fall and beyond? Will teaching fellows feel impacted by the experience? These concerns were especially salient considering local and national reporting and research that indicated low student attendance rates and engagement, especially among historically underrepresented students, when school districts switched to remote learning in the spring. 

With agility, fortitude, and positive spirits, Breakthrough staff across the country not only reimagined core components of a traditional Breakthrough summer but also developed creative alternatives to best meet the needs of both students and teachers. While the summer wasn't without its challenges, we found many examples and lessons learned to celebrate and share. 

Our newest white paper, "Breaking Through the Distance: How Relationships Foster Online Learning," summarizes our key learnings as six strategies that educators and others can use to best position their students for success during virtual learning. We share our strategies below:

Strategy 1: Believe that online learning is possible.

• Hold positive mindsets and high expectations.

Strategy 2: Be flexible in translating programs to online formats. 

• Redesign programming while staying true to essential program goals.
• Reassess and adjust continually based on feedback from students and staff.

Strategy 3: Create safe spaces in small and large groups to build relationships.

• Cultivate belonging, not only through small groups, but also through large group community-building opportunities.
• Create safe spaces for both students and teachers to allow for meaningful learning.
• Build connections in the "off" times though open office hours, community work times, and other non-academic opportunities.

Strategy 4: Prioritize connections with families.

• Ask for regular feedback from families.
• Share highlights and challenges with families in a student-centered way.
• Offer regular and accessible family events.

Strategy 5: Define and communicate expectations for online participation. 

• Set clear digital expectations and norms through technology trainings.
• Rely on multiple indications of online student engagement.

Strategy 6: Immerse students in real-world content that is relevant and fun.

• Infuse social justice and real-world examples throughout the program.
• Keep learning fun and joyous.

In reflecting on summer 2020, it was somewhat surprising to discover how powerful the relationships were by the end of the virtual summer, but also exciting to know that the essential elements of a Breakthrough program are still as powerful online as it is in person. As one student remarked, "Despite having a different environment this year, every class still had a sense of community." In many respects, we were able to re-create the energy and community reminiscent of Sillers Hall virtually.
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The Collaborative’s successes are evidenced in the data; by the end of the summer:

• 92 percent of students completed the summer program, comparable to in-person summers;
• 81 percent of students felt more prepared to learn at school in the fall;
• 76 percent of students felt better prepared to use digital tools/technology at school in the fall; and
• 87 percent of teaching fellows reported that their 2020 experience was "very good" or "excellent," higher than recent, in-person years.

The successful summer reestablished in our minds that forging relationships and building community are critical components to student engagement and academic learning. While teaching and learning virtually can create physical distance between teachers, students, and peers, leading to feelings of isolation and disconnection, some practices can mitigate those challenges. We learned that not only can we build community virtually, but in order to do so, we have to engage and center the voices and experiences of our students and families. In that way, we can continue to learn, grow, maybe do some cheers, and ultimately, build a community that supports students on their path to college and success in life.

Alex Serna, M.Ed is the Executive Director at Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano. He can be reached via email ([email protected]) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexserna1/). 

Jee Deogracias, Ph.D. is the Director of Research and Evaluation at Breakthrough Collaborative. She can be reached via email ([email protected]) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jee-deogracias). 
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Read the full Breakthrough Collaborative white paper at this link: https://www.breakthroughcollaborative.org/white-paper/ 

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