Summer Learning Research Articles

Accumulating summer loss: an ethnographic look into the summer whereabouts and activities of low-income college students

ABSTRACT Little is known about college students during their summer break between the first and second years of college, when some students may contemplate whether they will return to college. Using ethnographic method, this article addresses critical questions of low-income college students during their summer breaks of where they go, where they stay, and what they do. Especially for the most vulnerable populations, unstable summer experiences have the potential to debilitate academic progress. Based on the literature of summer learning loss described as a concept when particularly low-income primary students experience a loss in core academic content, this study addresses its effects on college students. A setback or stagnant summer experience for low-income students during their first summer break from college could have the effect of accumulating academic and social loss with each passing year. Understanding what occurs outside of school sessions may help universities better prepare to support their students.

The Public Library’s Role in Youth Learning: Remediation and Acceleration During COVID

This article summarizes key research findings about academic learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic and how public libraries can help youth with learning remediation and acceleration. Given the educational crisis, it is urgent that public library services and programs create more equitable practices for all children, particularly children of color. Finally, the article highlights specific practices instituted by several library systems that address COVID-related learning loss and are aligned to two areas of national priority: summer learning and out-of-school time.

A Seasonal Analysis of Disparities in Academic Skills for Early Elementary School Children with Disabilities

Studies examining seasonal variation in academic skills for children have focused on learning loss or stagnation during the summer, particularly for students from low-income or minoritized racial and ethnic backgrounds. In this study, we expand the literature to focus on another student population that may be susceptible to summer learning loss: children with disabilities. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 (ECLS-K:2011), we examined changes in the academic skills of children with disabilities—defined in terms of having an individualized education plan or receiving special education services—relative to peers without disabilities during the school year and summer months. Results indicate that inequality in learning rates between both groups tends to widen more during the early school years, particularly in kindergarten, than summer. One policy implication of the findings is schools may need to focus more on kindergarten transition for children with disabilities.

Creating Opportunities for Young People: Statewide After-School Networks

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress made a once-in-a-generation investment in after-school and summer learning programs with the potential to provide supports and opportunities for children and youth across America. At the same time, after 2 decades of development, networks in all 50 states were poised to advise and support the investment in innovative quality programs. This thought leader piece explores impact of the statewide after-school networks, funded in part by the Charles Stewart Mott foundation, and how they increase access for millions of children and youth in quality after-school and summer learning programs. The piece makes the case for increased recognition of the role of statewide after-school networks and increased collaboration between network leaders and researchers interested in positive youth development.

Healthy Summer Learners: An explanatory mixed methods study and process evaluation

Healthy Summer Learners (HSL), a novel, 6-week summer program for 2–4th grade children from low-income families in the Southeastern United States, aimed to prevent accelerated summer BMI gain and academic learning loss by providing healthy meals and snacks, 15 min of nutrition education, 3 h of physical activity opportunities and 3.5 h of reading instruction daily. This three-armed pilot quasi-experimental study used a repeated measure within- and between-participant design to compare HSL, to an active comparator—21st Century Summer Learning Program (21 C), and no-treatment control. A mixed-methods process evaluation was employed to evaluate program implementation and provide insight for future program development. Though the program was well received, student attendance was lower than anticipated and full program fidelity was not achieved. During interviews, both parents and teachers noted that the bussing schedule was inconsistent, making attendance difficult for some families. These process evaluation findings may help explain why no statistically significant group-by-time interactions at 3- or 12-month follow up were found for the primary outcomes of zBMI or MAP reading score. Future iterations of HSL should seek to extend program hours, lengthen program duration, and explore ways to lower projected cost of attendance.

Understanding Differential Growth During School Years and Summers for Students in Special Education

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, schools are required to provide a free appropriate public education to students with disabilities and show that the students are making academic progress. This study compares within- and across-years academic growth from kindergarten to 4th grade for students who were ever in special education (ever-SPED) to students who were never in special education (never-SPED). We use math and reading assessment scores from NWEA’s Growth Research Database. Our dataset contains one cohort of about 4,200 students, assessed up to three times per year for five years. Although ever-SPED students started kindergarten with lower math and reading test scores and grew less in both subjects than never-SPED students during the kindergarten school year, ever-SPED students grew more than never-SPED students during the 1st and 2nd grade school years in math and 1st, 3rd, and 4th grade school years in reading. However, ever-SPED students lost more learning during every summer than never-SPED students. This led the test score disparities between the two to grow from under 0.5 standard deviations in kindergarten to 1.0 standard deviation in 4th grade. These findings suggest that summer learning opportunities are crucial for improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities.

Increasing Awareness of Inclusive STEM Education through a College-Level Student Research Group

The under representation of persons with disabilities in STEM reflects not only a moral failing in society’s commitment to equity but also a practical dilemma as science benefits from the contributions of people with diverse perspectives. While teacher education programs attempt to address equity at the K-12 level, societal biases and misconceptions about who is “able” in science present persistent barriers for people with disabilities throughout the STEM pipeline, in higher education, employment, and beyond. How can we ensure that students with disabilities will encounter professors, employers, coworkers, and peers who are supportive of their efforts in STEM? To address this question, this article describes the experience of a college administrator and four students who collaboratively conducted a literature review on inclusive STEM education during the summer of 2020. While the goal of this project was to provide meaningful summer learning opportunities and employment for students during COVID-19 while simultaneously providing research support for the administrator, project outcomes suggest that the college students, none of whom were education majors, gained understanding and appreciation of the issues surrounding inclusive STEM education while also developing expertise in the literature review process. We suggest that this project represents a successful teaching technique that can be used in higher education, including teacher education programs, to contribute to the development of future leaders, educators, and citizens who are aware of, engaged with, and supportive of quality inclusive STEM education and opportunities for all.

Datawhys Phase 1: Problem Solving to Facilitate Data Science & STEM Learning Among Summer Interns

This design case details a data science summer learning experience designed by University of Memphis faculty for HBCU students (NSF #: 1918751) with recruiting assistance provided by LeMoyne-Owen College. The summer learning experience included elements of didactic and collaborative problem-solving during the first five weeks of the internship, followed by a three-week, team-based, problem-solving project using real-world data. While the course was originally designed as a face-to-face learning experience, the impact of COVID-19 necessitated a shift toward online digital spaces. The design case details the opportunities and challenges of STEM online learning and especially underscores the limitations of (a) existing data science technologies for instruction, (b) the shift toward instructional design of materials that supported more self-directed learning, and (c) collaborative problem-solving. Implications for design and practice are also considered.

School's Out

The debate over the future direction of elementary and secondary education in the United States is fractious and contentious. Many of these are rooted in concerns over disparities in financial circumstances and race. While the full extent of the gaps, in addition to the United States' mediocre education system relative to other industrialized nations, has been a subject of frequent research and heated debate, one crucial component of this divide has yet to be analyzed: summer learning loss.
 This paper will closely analyze published literature in order to analyze the impact of summer education loss. Additionally, this paper will argue that summer learning varies by socioeconomic status (SES), with low-income populations gradually regressing over the years. This phenomenon has ramifications on students' achievement and explains the disparities that accumulate over a student's educational career. Finally, based on current evidence, this paper will make policy recommendations on how to change the current education system to better address summer's inherent inequities.

Primary Grade Students’ Achievement Given Differentiated Process Writing Instruction in a Summer Learning Program

Primary Grade Students’ Achievement Given Differentiated Process Writing Instruction in a Summer Learning Program

Impact of informal learning environments on STEM education—Views of elementary students and their parents

AbstractThis single case study design examines the impact of collaborative inquiry‐ and design‐based learning on elementary students enrolled in the STEM summer camp program. Sixty‐five students participated in a two‐week summer camp that offered a curriculum centered on (a) coding; (b) STEM arts; (c) 3D printing; and (d) digital storytelling. Data is primarily collected through follow‐up interviews with students and their parents; and complemented with student’s journals, daily progress reports, and post‐camp surveys for both parents and students. The findings indicate that students enjoyed STEM camp as the activities were collaborative and hands‐on. Findings also indicated summer learning experience could act as a platform to engage students in STEM activities and promote integrated learning of different content areas. On the other hand, the results from parental data suggested that their purpose of enrolling children in a STEM camp is to provide them sustained exposure to the STEM curriculum and engage them in real‐world applications.

A Seasonal Comparison of the Effectiveness of Parent Engagement on Student Literacy Achievement

Parent engagement is often promoted as a remedy for reducing achievement gaps between students from high socio-economic and low socio-economic backgrounds. However, researchers have found mixed results when examining parent engagement and student outcomes. Drawing on a study investigating the effectiveness of summer literacy camps offered by schools in Ontario, I compare the influence of parent engagement on two outcomes: (1) spring snapshot of cumulative learning, and (2) summer literacy growth/loss. In considering summer learning in regression analysis, I aim to investigate the effect of parent engagement without the influence of schools during the academic year. Out of 14 parent engagement measures, I find only three (parents’ aspirations, home resources, discussions of school with children) are positive predictors of spring literacy outcomes and that none predict summer literacy growth/loss. Family socio-economic status remains a powerful predictor of achievement for both outcomes. I interpret my findings within three proposed mechanisms of parent engagement: cultivation ethic, realist reaction, and expressive logic.
 Keywords: parent engagement, literacy achievement, socio-economic status, inequality, summer learning, summer literacy camp(s)

A Seasonal Comparison of the Effectiveness of Parent Engagement on Student Literacy Achievement

Parent engagement is often promoted as a remedy for reducing achievement gaps between students from high socio-economic and low socio-economic backgrounds. However, researchers have found mixed results when examining parent engagement and student outcomes. Drawing on a study investigating the effectiveness of summer literacy camps offered by schools in Ontario, I compare the influence of parent engagement on two outcomes: (1) spring snapshot of cumulative learning, and (2) summer literacy growth/loss. In considering summer learning in regression analysis, I aim to investigate the effect of parent engagement without the influence of schools during the academic year. Out of 14 parent engagement measures, I find only three (parents’ aspirations, home resources, discussions of school with children) are positive predictors of spring literacy outcomes and that none predict summer literacy growth/loss. Family socio-economic status remains a powerful predictor of achievement for both outcomes. I interpret my findings within three proposed mechanisms of parent engagement: cultivation ethic, realist reaction, and expressive logic.

What Will Summer Look Like? Summer Learning Loss and COVID-19 Learning Gaps

Summer 2021 will likely look much different than previous summers due to the impact of the now more than one-year-long pandemic.Here we share research about summer learning loss and overlap that with emerging studies illustrating how COVID-19 closures and remote learning have compounded learning loss, all of which disproportionately impacts Black children, indigenous children, children of color, and all children who live in poverty.

Does private supplementary tutoring matter? The effect of private supplementary tutoring on mathematics achievement

Participation in private supplementary tutoring (PT) is a global educational phenomenon especially prevalent in East Asia. This study conducted a student-report questionnaire, collected school reports of mathematics achievement to track retrospective longitudinal variations of PT over half a year, and obtained an analysis of the impact of PT participation on mathematics achievement during the school semester and summer vacation. Results show that, during summer vacation, students’ participation in PT has a significant positive effect on their mathematics achievement; however, the effect is insignificant during the school semester. The findings enhance the knowledge about the effectiveness of PT and summer learning.

COVID-19 school closures and educational achievement gaps in Canada: Lessons from Ontario summer learning research.

The 2020 COVID‐19 pandemic closed most Canadian public schools for six consecutive months between March and September. This paper explores possible impacts of that closure on student achievement. Longstanding research suggests that lengthy periods of time out of school generally create losses of literacy and numeracy skills and widen student achievement gaps. New American studies have attributed sizeable learning losses to the COVID‐19 closures. In lieu of comparable Canadian data, this paper extrapolates from summer learning research to estimate likely shortfalls in literacy and numeracy skills. We draw on data from 14 cohorts of Ontario primary‐grade students collected between 2010 and 2015 in which 3,723 attended summer programs and 12,290 served as controls. Across three plausible scenarios, we use meta analyses and OLS and quintile regression models to predict learning losses of 3.5 and 6.5 months among typically‐performing and lower‐performing students respectively, and achievement gaps that grow up to 1.5 years among same grade peers. After qualifying these predictions, we recommend that provincial ministries offer targeted supplementary programs during the summer and synchronous instruction in the event of future school closures.

Virtual Kindergarten Readiness Programming for Preschool-Aged Children: Feasibility, Social Validity, and Preliminary Impacts

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The global COVID-19 pandemic prevented the implementation of in-person summer learning programs designed to improve school readiness for entering kindergartners. Thus, we conducted the current study examining the feasibility, social validity, and preliminary impacts of a virtual summer learning program. Ninety-one preschoolers and their caregivers participated in a 4-week program involving one weekly teacher-caregiver meeting, two weekly Watch Together home learning activities, two weekly Play Together home learning activities, one or two weekly Read Together home learning activities, and one or two weekly teacher-child video chat lessons. Recruitment and participation indicated high levels of interest. Caregivers reported high levels of satisfaction with the program and teachers reported moderate to high levels of child engagement during video chat lessons. Children showed significant gains on emotion knowledge, patterning, and alphabet knowledge. Practice or Policy: This study demonstrates the promise of a virtual kindergarten readiness program and suggests that the combination of educational media and video chat instruction may be effective for promoting children’s skills. A virtual intervention could be beneficial in other contexts, such as in rural areas where it would be challenging for families to participate in an in-person program or for immunocompromised or seriously ill children who are unable to attend in person.

The effects of a tactical games model unit on students’ volleyball performances in elementary school

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a tactical games model instructional plan on game-play volleyball performances of elementary school students, taking into account their skill level. In total, 39 fourth-grade students (average age: 8.9 years) participated in a 13-week unit, in which each lesson exaggerated the use of small-sided games. In-game performances were assessed via the Team Sport Assessment Procedure, while students played a 10-minute modified game (four versus four). Data were collected pre- and post-intervention, and after the summer vacation (retention test). A 2 (skill level) × 3 (time) analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to compare students’ performance, and the relevant effects were interpreted mainly by means of confidence intervals and effect size measures. At the end of the instructional period, all participants had an overall moderate to large improvement, and this global improvement seems to have remained at least until the end of the summer vacation. Lower-skilled students attained a larger and more established improvement than high-skilled students did. However, some detrimental effects on in-game students’ performance existed at the end of the instructional period. Therefore, teachers have to take into account students’ skill levels when designing their lessons because, if small-sided games are adequately considered and managed, students’ learning processes can be enhanced. Furthermore, the students should be assigned appropriate learning activities to avoid summer learning loss in physical education.

Exploring the summer reading effect through visual analysis of multiple datasets

Historically, there has been concern about students losing reading ability over extended breaks from school, commonly in the summer, but studies of this phenomenon have produced inconsistent results. We applied exploratory visual analysis of multiple datasets to examine whether students in Grades K‐5 appear to lose or improve in various reading abilities over the summer and across consecutive school years. Archival data were obtained on students of different U.S. school districts who did not participate in a formal summer reading programme. Data were disaggregated by groups considered most vulnerable to summer loss: those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and those identified with disabilities. Given the variety of measure types and scores, we centred scores on each measure's cut point for proficiency in a particular grade level to depict how students' scores deviated from the proficiency classifications before and after a summer break. Overall, students' scores relative to the benchmark appeared on average to have maintained or improved, and there was no observed accumulated decrement in reading performance across years. For anomalous instances of summer loss, we offer possible alternative explanations such as measurement artefacts and unrehearsed learning. Visual analysis of the datasets suggested that summer breaks were not associated with systematic losses of students' reading ability, even among those considered most vulnerable to the phenomenon. However, available assessments and benchmarks are not designed to measure summer learning specifically, and little is known about the kinds of literacy experiences students not in formal programmes might be having. Thus, more research on summer maturation and degeneration is warranted.

The Learning Curve: Revisiting the Assumption of Linear Growth during the School Year

Important educational policy decisions, like whether to shorten or extend the school year, often require accurate estimates of how much students learn during the year. Yet, related research relies on a mostly untested assumption: that growth in achievement is linear throughout the entire school year. We examine this assumption using a dataset containing math and reading test scores for over seven million students in kindergarten through 8th grade across the fall, winter, and spring of the 2017–18 school year. Our results indicate that assuming linear within-year growth is often not justified, particularly in reading. Implications for investments in extending the school year, summer learning loss, and the development of racial/ethnic achievement gaps are discussed.