Marian University's Summer Learning Institute is committed to serving youth in the Marion County area. Research shows that all students, but especially students in urban settings, experience learning loss during the summer. The Summer Learning Institute is an innovative, collaborative effort between the community and Marian University to stop this learning loss.
Our History
The Marian University Summer Learning Institute was created in June 2010 through a grant from The Indianapolis Foundation and Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). The Indianapolis Foundation, Indiana’s oldest and largest community foundation, was created to ensure that the quality of life in Marion County continuously improves. Marian University is proud to be an integral part of the Indianapolis community and is deeply committed to boosting the achievement of local children, especially the disadvantaged.
Overview
Educational programs are the “terrain in the struggle for knowledge and power” (Cervero & Wilson, 2006, p. 25). We believe that when quality materials are provided, program managers and teachers will understand them and use that information to make well-informed decisions about educational offerings in out-of-school time programs. Our efforts are intensely focused on “communicating the story” to inform better practice and build momentum so that we will begin to lessen the affects of summer learning loss and improve teacher effectiveness.
Our Mission
The Summer Learning Institute is fiercely committed to building capacity in out-of-school time learning programs by offering professional development for teachers, providing teaching and instruction in scientific research based instructional strategies that improve student learning, and disseminating information on discovery-oriented lessons that are practical and grounded in theory.
Our mission is
- to broker resources that support community-based summer learning programs,
- to provide training for both experienced and pre service teachers in scientific research-based learning methods, and
- to inform the summer learning field on promising practices.
Our goal is to demonstrate progress in our mission by quantitatively
- improving teacher preparedness or teacher effectiveness
- improving community based summer learning outcomes
- informing the summer learning field in general on promising practices
Current Resources Available to the Public
- Database of “highly qualified” teachers available to staff summer learning programs
- Consultants to assist program directors create hands-on learning activities
- Professional development workshops in math, reading, and writing
- Consultants to assist businesses develop learning activities as service projects
Partnerships with Marian University
If you are interested in partnering with Marian University in reducing summer learning loss and closing the Achievement Gap, please contact us. We will help you customize your support to match the needs of the community you serve. Please read the 
brochure for partners to learn more about partnering with Marian University's School of Education to close the Achievement Gap.
For more information, contact:
Judy Bardonner, Ph.D.
Director, Summer Learning Institute
jbardonner@marian.edu
317.955.6545
