[For updated guidance on summer learning programs, please see Getting to Work on Summer Learning Revised  2nd Edition; for updated information on outcomes please see Every Summer Counts and Investing in Successful Summer Programs]

In a trio of reports, experts from Child Trends, a nonprofit nonpartisan research center, and the National Summer Learning Association share what they know about summer learning loss and possible solutions to this widespread problem. Effective and Promising Summer Learning Programs and Approaches for Economically-Disadvantaged Children and Youth reviews research on summer programs aimed at raising academic achievement or producing other long-term benefits, such as physical fitness, employment or college enrollment. It identifies successful programs as well as promising practices and questions for further research. The report also recommends strategies schools and communities can follow to reduce summer learning loss.

It's Time for Summer: An Analysis of Recent Policy and Funding Opportunities examines policies and funding streams at national, state and local levels that support summer learning for low-income children in major US cities. It also describes how these policies and funding streams might be structured to serve more students and provide them with both academic support and the same kind of enrichment resources available to middle-class youth.

Building Quality in Summer Learning Programs: Approaches and Recommendations describes seven strategies for improving summer programs for disadvantaged youth. These include establishing professional standards and credentials for summer staff members, developing research-based guidelines for the selection of a summer learning curriculum and connecting summer program providers with those offering professional development and other assistance.