~Cooper Summer Reading Institute at Lanning Square School another Great Success~
  Let’s face it, when the school year is out and summer is in full swing, kids tend to focus more on their next trip to the local community swimming pool than picking up a book or doing anything that even remotely involves the word “school.”  The summer academic slide is a well documented phenomenon.  In its fifth year, The Cooper Summer Reading Institute at the Lanning Square School is trying to change that.
  With the continued generous support from sponsors including Anne E. Koons of Prudential Realtors, the Cooper Reading Institute at Lanning Square is helping kindergarten through fourth-grade students from the Camden area build lifelong reading skills through its six-week summer program. Students attend this full-day program with no cost to parents. The program offers small group instruction in a fun and lively atmosphere.
  “When children are engaged in productive academic work over the summer and having fun at the same time, so much can happen for them.  It is very gratifying to see how much they can accomplish,” says Richard Selznick, PhD, psychologist and Director of the Cooper Learning Center. “The partnership among the Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper, the Lanning Square School and outside sponsors really makes a difference in children’s lives.”
  An exciting addition to the Summer Reading Institute involves a Rowan University initiative with the Lanning Square School aimed at heightening urban awareness for high school students. The Cooper Learning Center and the Lanning Square School are collaborating with the Rowan Urban Teacher Academy (RUTA), a two week intensive program for high school seniors who are considering careers in urban education.  During part of the initiative, RUTA students are partnered with Lanning children in order to give them the opportunity to have hands-on experience in an urban setting.