Summer Learning

Children from low-income families often do not have the same opportunities to learn and experience enriching activities during the summer as children from higher-income families. Consequently, they can lose ground academically, contributing to the persistent achievement gap between them and their more affluent peers. High-quality summer learning programs offering a combination of academics and enrichment could help.

Browse the reports and other resources on these pages for insights into summer learning.

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READS: Helping Children Become Summer Bookworms	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/READS-Helping-Children-Become-Summer-Bookworms.aspx	READS: Helping Children Become Summer Bookworms	READS—a school-run, summer read-at-home program that gives children free books coupled with key supports—can help disadvantaged students sharpen their reading skills, rigorous research suggests.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/READS-Helping-Children-Become-Summer-Bookworms-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/READS-Helping-Children-Become-Summer-Bookworms-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	7/17/2018 4:00:00 AM
Summer Learning Recruitment Guide	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Summer-Learning-Recruitment-Guide.aspx	Summer Learning Recruitment Guide	A website and written guide for school districts that want to recruit students for voluntary summer learning programs offers eight keys to success.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Summer-Learning-Recruitment-Guide-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Summer-Learning-Recruitment-Guide-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	3/6/2018 5:00:00 AM
Governance Structures for City Afterschool Systems: Three Models	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Governance-Structures-for-City-Afterschool-Systems-Three-Models.aspx	Governance Structures for City Afterschool Systems: Three Models	How are city afterschool systems best governed? This brief describes three possibilities.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Governance-Structures-for-City-Afterschool-Systems-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Governance-Structures-for-City-Afterschool-Systems-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	1/17/2018 5:00:00 AM
The Value of Out-of-School Time Programs	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/the-value-of-out-of-school-time-programs.aspx	The Value of Out-of-School Time Programs	A RAND analysis finds that out-of-school-time programs are generally effective at producing the outcomes that would be expected by their content and design.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/The-Value-of-Out-of-School-Time-Programs-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/The-Value-of-Out-of-School-Time-Programs-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	11/2/2017 4:00:00 AM
Making Summer Last: Integrating Summer Programming into Core District Priorities and Operations	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/making-summer-last.aspx	Making Summer Last: Integrating Summer Programming into Core District Priorities and Operations	Introducing a high-quality summer learning program in a school district requires effort. So does ensuring that the program can last beyond a handful of summers. This report offers ideas on how to achieve that goal.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Making-Summer-Last-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Making-Summer-Last-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	10/23/2017 4:00:00 AM
Strategies to Scale Up Social Programs	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/how-to-scale-up-social-programs-that-work.aspx	Strategies to Scale Up Social Programs	In successfully scaling up social programs through partnerships, 45 diverse nonprofits faced three key choices: their partner, their approach to spreading their work, and their call on the balance between fidelity and flexibility at the expansion sites.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Strategies-to-Scale-Up-Social-Programs-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Strategies-to-Scale-Up-Social-Programs-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	9/19/2017 4:00:00 AM
Learning from Summer: Effects of Voluntary Summer Learning Programs on Low-Income Urban Youth	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/Learning-from-Summer-Effects-of-Voluntary-Summer-Learning-Programs-on-Low-Income-Urban-Youth.aspx	Learning from Summer: Effects of Voluntary Summer Learning Programs on Low-Income Urban Youth	A groundbreaking study finds high-quality summer learning programs benefit high-attending students in math and reading.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Learning-From-Summer-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/Learning-From-Summer-a.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	10/26/2016 4:00:00 AM
PowerPoint: Making Summer Count for All Our Children	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/PowerPoint-Making-Summer-Count-for-All-Children.aspx	PowerPoint: Making Summer Count for All Our Children	Much must be done before children from low-income families have the same summer-learning opportunities as their more affluent peers, says Wallace Foundation President Will Miller. But some efforts are beginning to pave the way.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Slide Presentation	<img alt="PowerPoint: Making Summer Count for All Children" src="/News-and-Media/Videos-and-Presentations/PublishingImages/PowerPoint-Making-Summer-Count-for-All-Children-b.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	7/21/2016 4:00:00 AM
An Analysis of the Effects of an Academic Summer Program for Middle School Students	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/An-Analysis-of-the-Effects-of-an-Academic-Summer-Program-for-Middle-School-Students.aspx	An Analysis of the Effects of an Academic Summer Program for Middle School Students	This study of a BELL effort is one of the few to look at the impact of summer learning programs on middle school students.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Report	<img alt="An Analysis of the Effects of an Academic Summer Program for Middle School Students" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/An-Analysis-of-the-Effects-of-an-Academic-Summer-Program-for-Middle-School-Students-B.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> <img alt="An Analysis of the Effects of an Academic Summer Program for Middle School Students" src="/knowledge-center/PublishingImages/An-Analysis-of-the-Effects-of-an-Academic-Summer-Program-for-Middle-School-Students-A.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	5/11/2015 4:00:00 AM
The National Summer Learning Project	https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Pages/VIDEO-Ready-for-Fall.aspx	The National Summer Learning Project	A RAND researcher, two school district superintendents and Wallace’s president assess the significance of the near-term findings from the National Summer Learning Project.	54092405-3ed7-43af-891b-ab77fa4f2517	Video	<img alt="Ready for Fall" src="/News-and-Media/Videos-and-Presentations/PublishingImages/Video-Ready-for-Fall.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" />	12/16/2014 5:00:00 AM

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