Innovation Video Series, Episode 5—Closing the Gap in Summer Learning


Before he was chief program officer for Horizons National, José Oromi spent his boyhood summers at home, where his parents acted as his own personal program directors for a new project every day when school was out of session.

Staying engaged every summer became a practice that continued into adulthood, when José became a teacher and attended professional development programs during the months of June, July, and August.

“For me, it has always been about using that time for personal improvement,” he says.

This is a topic José stands behind personally, as well as in his work with Horizons National, a nonprofit organization that collaborates with communities to offer six-week summer programs at independent schools, colleges, and universities. Children, particularly low-income children, receive instruction that empowers them with the knowledge and confidence they need to restart the school year.

Watch José tell us much more about why summertime has to be part of the educational equation for children. Especially those who are most vulnerable.

By the way, National Summer Learning Day is June 19 this year.

Watch Episode 4, with Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health.