This summer, one of our many site visits took us to Nome, Alaska, where we had the opportunity to see place-based instruction in action. We observed an “On the Land” workshop offered through the University of Alaska Fairbanks Northwest Campus’s High Latitude Range Management program. The workshop exemplified high-quality experiential, place-based pedagogy. Taken together, the week showed what place-based education can accomplish when the land becomes the classroom.

Summer is a time for relaxation, exploration, and play. But for many elementary and middle school students, it's also a period when academic skills can slip—a phenomenon known as the "summer slide." Past research has demonstrated that students can lose up to two months of reading and math knowledge over the summer if they’re not engaged in educational activities. Effective summer programming can not only prevent this loss but even help students make academic gains.