Summer learning loss

by Danielle Baer, School's Out Washington

In addition to lack of outdoor play time and adequate nutrition, learning loss is another major issue impacting kids during the summer.

The Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University has compiled information from several research studies pointing to the impact of summer learning loss especially on low-income children and youth. According to one study, two-thirds of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college. While most students lose about 2 months of grade-level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months, low-income students lose more than two months in reading achievement, while their middle-class peers make slight gains. When this pattern continues throughout the elementary school years, lower income youth fall more than two and one-half years behind their more affluent peers by the end of fifth grade.


Access to quality summer programs for all children and youth is key to both addressing summer learning loss and providing a healthy environment that promotes nutrition and physical activity. The Center for Summer Learning has great resources on their website around what makes a quality summer program including thematic learning and engaging, experiential activities. The Center also is active on the policy front and is working to increase resources at the federal level for summer programming. Some of the legislation relating to summer includes:


· The Summer Term Education Programs for Upward Performance Act (STEP UP) re-introduced this year by Senators Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md) to provide grants for “summer opportunity scholarships” to local education agencies, for-profit education providers, non-profit organizations, or summer enrichment camps. The scholarships would entitle students in grades K-3 to 30 full days of instruction.

· Expanding the Simplified Summer Food Program from 26 states to all states in the 2008 budget. Expansion would eliminate complicated accounting procedures making it easier for all sponsors to provide children with healthy meals over the summer.

· The Federal Summer of Service Act would provide the Corporation for National and Community Service with $100 million to engage middle school students in intensive and structured community service during the summer. As an incentive for participation, youth would earn $500 for education after completing 100 hours of service.

Summer shouldn't look like the school year, but kids need opportunities during the summer months to continue learning, engaging in new life experiences and having fun in a safe, healthy environment. We know that many kids do not have these opportunities, especially in remote rural or other isolated communities. Working to increase resources from local, state, and federal governments as well as raising awareness among private funders of the importance of summer programs in supporting learning for children and youth is an important step for the out-of-school time field.

Danielle Baer is Communications and Grants Coordinator for School's Out Washington





Thanks to viewoftheworld and sleestack 66 for the flickr creative commons photos.