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Summer Learning

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Loss of knowledge and educational skills during summer months is cumulative over the course of a student's career and further widens the achievement gap between low- and upper-income students. Many experts see summer learning programs as key to preventing the “summer slide” and closing the achievement gap. RAND researchers examine approaches and strategies for summer learning initiatives and their effect on student outcomes.

Report

Summer Learning Programs Benefit Low-Income Urban Students

Sep 7, 2016

Low-income students lose ground in the summer relative to their wealthier peers. High-quality voluntary summer learning programs can help disadvantaged students catch up and succeed in school, but consistent attendance is crucial.
Report

How to Sustain Summer Learning Programs

Oct 23, 2017

Summer learning programs can provide academic support to students who need it the most. But they tend to be threatened when budgets are tight. Can integrating these programs into school districts' core priorities and operations improve their sustainability?

Explore Summer Learning

Report

Report

Getting to Work on Summer Learning: Recommended Practices for Success, 2nd Ed.

The RAND Corporation's six-year study of the National Summer Learning Project culminates in this final report about district implementation of summer learning programs and presents the best available guidance about how to establish and sustain them.

Nov 4, 2018
Report

Report

The Big Lift Descriptive Analyses: Kindergarten Readiness and Elementary School Reading Outcomes for the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 Kindergarten Classes

The Big Lift initiative aims to boost children's reading proficiency in San Mateo County, California. This second in a series of descriptive analyses shares follow-up data on the 2016-2017 kindergarten class and initial data for the 2017-2018 class.

Oct 10, 2018
Report

The Big Lift Implementation Study: Final Report

The Big Lift, a learning initiative extending from preschool to third grade initiative in San Mateo County, aims to increase third grade reading proficiency in the county. As part of a Big Lift evaluation, this report focused on collective impact design and activity pillars.

Jun 25, 2018
Infographic

Infographic

Enriching Kids: The Benefits of Using Public Funds to Pay for Out-of-School (OST) Time Programs

This infographic provides an overview of the opportunity and attainment gaps between high-and low-income students and how public funding for after-school programs can help address these gaps.

May 31, 2018
Research Brief

Research Brief

Big Lift Participation and School Entry Indicators: Early Findings

This brief summarizes results from RAND's descriptive analysis of participation rates and school readiness outcomes for children served in the first year of the Big Lift collective impact initiative.

Nov 28, 2017
Report

Report

Big Lift Participation and School Entry Indicators: Findings for the 2016–2017 Kindergarten Class

The Big Lift is a learning initiative extending from preschool to third grade in San Mateo County, California. This report provides descriptive analyses of participation in Big Lift programs along with measures of kindergarten-readiness at school entry.

Nov 28, 2017
Report

Out-of-School Time Programs Are Worthy of Public Investment

Children need safe places, caring adults, and enriching activities when not in school. Out-of-school time programs build human and cultural capital and develop kids' interests and skills. Public funding helps low-income youth have experiences that may provide lasting developmental benefits.

Oct 23, 2017
Report

Summer Learning in Pittsburgh: Exploring Programming Gaps and Opportunities

This report investigates summer program opportunities in Pittsburgh, focusing on free or low-cost programs that provide academic instruction for at least five weeks during the summer.

Sep 6, 2017
Periodical

Periodical

RAND Review: January-February 2017

This issue highlights ways that RAND researchers on the ground in Uganda are having a measurable impact on the lives of men and women struggling with HIV and depression. The issue also features a tribute to the late economist Charles Wolf Jr.

Jan 12, 2017
News Release

News Release

Voluntary Summer Learning Programs for Elementary School Students Benefit Those with High Levels of Attendance

Elementary school students with high levels of attendance in voluntary summer learning programs led by urban districts experienced benefits in math and reading.

Sep 7, 2016
Infographic

Infographic

Learning from Summer: Effects of Voluntary Summer Learning Programs on Low-Income Urban Youth

This infographic summarizes several student outcomes from an assessment of five voluntary, district-led summer learning programs offered at no cost to low-income, urban elementary students.

Sep 7, 2016
Research Brief

Kids Benefit from Voluntary Summer Learning Programs

Fourth graders who attended at least 20 days of summer learning programs benefited in mathematics and language arts achievement. When voluntary summer learning programs are effective, what factors are associated with success?

Sep 7, 2016
Journal Article

Journal Article

The Impact of Summer Learning Loss on Measures of School Performance

State and federal accountability policies are predicated on the ability to estimate valid and reliable measures of school impacts on student learning. Results raise questions about the design of performance-based education policies, as well as schools' role in the production of students' achievement.

Jun 1, 2016
Blog

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.

Jun 19, 2015
Research Brief

First Outcomes from the National Summer Learning Study

Five urban school districts are offering voluntary summer learning programs free of charge to struggling elementary students as part of a project to determine whether these kinds of programs improve low-income student outcomes.

Feb 13, 2015
News Release

News Release

Students Attending Summer Learning Programs Returned to School in the Fall with an Advantage in Math

Students who attended voluntary, school district-led summer learning programs in five urban areas began the academic year with stronger math skills than their peers who did not attend the programs.

Dec 16, 2014
Report

Students Who Attended Summer Learning Programs Gained an Advantage in Math

Summer learning loss disproportionately affects low-income students and therefore likely contributes to the achievement gap between these students and their higher-income peers. Students who attended voluntary, school district-led summer learning programs in five urban areas began the academic year with stronger math skills than their peers who did not attend.

Dec 16, 2014
Blog

Ask Me Anything: Catherine Augustine on Summer Learning

With summer now underway, RAND's Catherine Augustine hosted an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit, answering questions about year-round schooling, how to get the most out of summer learning programs, and more.

Jul 3, 2014

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