A Summer Camp for Math - The Benefits Can Be Empirically Calculated

Back in my younger days, perhaps like you, I played youth sports and went to a few of those youth sports camps. It was quite amazing how much improvement one could get playing soccer for instance for a whole week, nothing but soccer with some of the top players in the world for inspiration as the camp's coaches. Total immersion techniques can really hone your skills regardless of the human activity.
In some countries, the ruling party sends their kids to camp for indoctrination and immersion in their political party's doctrines, and specially tailored history.

It works, and it is quite common.
Okay so, if we know camps where the participants spend all their time on one topic work so well, then why not send your kids to an academic camp to help them hone their skills? When I was in High School, one of my very good friends went to SAT Test Camp, he scored one of the highest scores at our school, which was rather impressive, it worked, and it was a good investment on his parents part; he was accepted and went to Stanford on a partial academic scholarship. There was an interesting article in the New York Times on July 27, 2011 titled; "A Sleepaway Camp Where Math Is the Main Sport," by Rachel Cromidas which stated; "As camps go, the Summer Program in Mathematical Problem Solving might sound like a recipe for misery: six hours of head-scratching math instruction each day and nights in a college dorm far from home.

" Okay so, that's just an awesome idea indeed. Think of the importance of helping students get excited about math and science, then consider all the students who get discouraged and don't ever really catch on, then shy away from a job in those fields, or even avoid higher level math and science classes in high-school or college.
Is summer math class the answer? Well, it might be one very wise component, so wise in fact, it might be smart to have that part of the academic curriculum, part of the tax-payer funded school program - why not? Look, we are going to have to do something differently in the future if we wish to get from where we are today, to a place where we do not have a shortage of mathematicians, scientists, engineers, or math teachers. Think about that for a moment, hear what I'm saying, and consider this as potentially one component of a viable solution.