Summer Learning

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Summer Learning Is More Popular Than Ever. How to Make Sure Your District's Program Is Effective

In the best of times, it is no small feat to put together a quality summer learning program. Given that districts are focusing not only on academic recovery from COVID learning loss, but on retaining teachers, supporting students' and teachers' mental health, and addressing increases in misbehavior, they need immediate, digestible guidance for summer programming.

Catherine H. Augustine, Heather L. Schwartz @schwartz_hl

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Summer Learning, America's Middle Class, Waking Up After the Pandemic: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on how to make summer learning count, U.S. deterrence in the ‘gray zone,’ why so many Americans are stuck outside the middle class, and more.

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Commit Now to Get Summer Programming Right

When summer programs are targeted to needs, intentionally designed, and well attended, they produce positive outcomes in math and reading. But these programs need federal support, and they require early planning.

Heather L. Schwartz @schwartz_hl, Catherine H. Augustine, et al.

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Teachers Lost Out on Professional Learning During the Pandemic. Here's How Summer Programs Could Help

For thousands of teachers across the United States, 2020 was a year of uncertainty. Many lacked access to their usual professional learning activities. Summer programs for students that also offer learning opportunities for teachers might help make up for lost time.

Elizabeth D. Steiner @ED_Steiner, Laura Stelitano

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COVID Learning Loss, Russian Trolls, Artificial Intelligence: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on helping students recover learning losses, fighting Russian trolls, racial disparity in unemployment benefits, the race for AI leadership, and more.

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The COVID Slide: How to Help Students Recover Learning Losses

Research shows that summer breaks contribute to income-based achievement and opportunity gaps for youth. How can we use what we know about summer learning to help kids in the age of COVID-19?

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Truth Decay, Principals, Augmented Reality: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on media literacy education as a way to fight Truth Decay, turning screen time into outdoor time, the importance of school principals, and more.

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Opioids, Summer Learning, Immigration: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on heroin-assisted treatment and supervised consumption sites, helping schools build better summer learning programs, America's overwhelmed immigration system, and more.

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Military Spouses, Exercise Incentives, Libraries: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on a scholarship program for military spouses, a wellness program that uses the Apple Watch, how libraries can improve public health, and more.

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High-Quality Out-of-School-Time Programs Are Worthy of Investment

High-quality out-of-school-time programs can benefit youth, and tend to produce outcomes linked to program content. Funders and policymakers could maximize benefits of these programs by providing adequate resources and funding to support quality programming. It could be a wise investment for America's youth.

Jennifer Sloan McCombs, Anamarie A. Whitaker

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Summer Learning Day: Stopping the Summer Slide

RAND is conducting the first-ever assessment of large-scale, voluntary, district-run, summer learning programs serving low-income elementary students. The results may help districts, educators, and policymakers make better decisions about funding and implementing programs to stop summer learning loss.

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Ask Me Anything: Catherine Augustine on Summer Learning

With summer now underway, RAND's Catherine Augustine hosted an

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Early Planning Key to Effective Summer Learning Programs

RAND education experts Jennifer McCombs and Catherine Augustine hosted a news media conference call to discuss the best steps school districts can take to provide the most effective and rewarding summer learning programs.

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Three Summer Learning Tips Parents Can Use

There’s plenty that parents can do at home to help their kids stay sharp until the new school year begins.

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At 65, RAND Continues to Make a Difference

To celebrate our first 60 years, we created '60 Ways RAND Has Made a Difference,' an online book to illustrate our most notable contributions. On our 65th birthday, we provide five of the most recent ways in which we at RAND are proud to have made a difference.

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Can Summer Learning Programs Prevent Skill and Knowledge Loss?

Today is National Summer Learning Day, a day established to raise awareness of the significance summer learning plays in educational achievement.