Summer Learn Loss - Georgia Family Connection Partnership

RESEARCH BRIEF

One Step Forward,
Three Steps Back

How Summer Learning Loss Is Widening
the Achievement Gap

Kids forget what they learn during the school year over the
summer. They all lose some math skills, but when it comes to reading,
poor and minority students fall behind their middle-class and more
affluent peers. This very real loss, called the summer slide, or summer
setback, continues to widen the academic achievement gap.

The research on summer learn- dren with some form of continuous learning Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of
ing loss points to a disturb- throughout the summer—with a focus on Third Grade Matters, identifies four recom-
ing relationship between retention—is the most immediate way to mendations to address contributing factors
socioeconomic and racial close the achievement gap. We must enhance and improve grade-level reading across the
disparities, and the achieve- grade-level reading proficiency at the family, nation:
ment gap. Cumulative summer learning losses community, and state levels. It is vital for
during the early elementary years among legislators, school officials, and community 1. Develop a coherent system of early care
socio-economic groups widen the gap. Since a members to work together to address the is- and education that aligns, integrates, and
larger proportion of the low-income popula- sue of summer learning because focusing our coordinates what happens from birth
tion are minorities who are less likely to be efforts and supports only during the school through third grade and beyond.
able to afford quality summer programs, sum- year is not closing the gap.
mer learning loss tends to be compounded Research tells us it is possible to iden- 2. Encourage and enable parents, families,
for poor and minority children. tify high-school dropouts as early as third and caregivers to play their indispensable
This brief examines how taking a com- grade based on their reading proficiency. A roles as co-producers of good outcomes
prehensive approach in providing all chil- report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, for their children.

MAY 2012 GAFCP.ORG

3. Prioritize, support, and invest in results- 2011 National NAEP Scores
driven initiatives to transform low-per-
forming schools into high-quality teach- Proficiency Levels
ing and learning environments for all
children. Average Below At or Above At or Above
Score Basic Basic Proficient Advanced
4. Find, develop, and deploy practical
scalable solutions to two of the most National 220 34 36 32 7
significant contributors to the under- 205 51 49 16 2
achievement of children from low-in- Black 205 50 50 18 2
come families—chronic absence from 230 23 77 42 10
school and summer learning loss.1 Hispanic 207 48 52 18 2

Causes and Contributing Factors White
to Summer Learning Loss
Eligible for
Some researchers have described summer Free or
learning loss by proposing the faucet theory, Reduced Lunch
which suggests that resources for all children (Low-Income)
are turned on during the school year, but
turned off during the summer months.2 Turn- All proficiency numbers are in percentages.
ing off learning opportunities in the summer
creates a drought of available resources and 2011 Georgia NAEP Scores
learning opportunities every year, causing our
most vulnerable children to fall further and Proficiency Levels
further behind.
Other contributing factors—the lack Average Below At or Above At or Above
of available and affordable summer learning Score Basic Basic Proficient Advanced
programs and family and parental enrich-
ment opportunities—intensify the lack of State Average 221 34 66 32 7
school-provided resources during the sum- 208 49 51 19 3
mer months. Most summer programs are Black 214 40 60 25 4
simply unaffordable for low-income families. 231 22 78 43 11
Middle-class and more affluent children are Hispanic 209 47 53 20 3
more likely to engage in summer learning
opportunities and move ahead of their low- White
income peers.
Responsibility for providing summer Eligible for
enrichment opportunities does not rest solely Free or
with schools. Parents must assume their role Reduced Lunch
as the first teachers of their children. The (Low-Income)
parents’ role as teacher does not end when
their children enter school. Parents and All proficiency numbers are in percentages.
families must continue to actively supple-
ment and reinforce what their children are Results of Summer Learning Loss class peers, with about a six-month gap in
learning in the classroom. Without academic grade equivalency;
reinforcement at home, children are more Studies have shown that children are learn-
likely to succumb to summer learning loss. ing at the same rate during the school year.3 • this gap increases to 2.5 years by the time
Moreover, many communities do not provide However, there is a disparity between low- these children leave fifth grade; and
summer learning opportunities outside of income and more affluent families in their
summer school for students who do not pass. ability to afford quality summer programs • the increased gap between first and fifth
This leaves various population segments with and to even have access to programs where grade was all attributable to changes in
no avenues to strengthen their skills for the they live. learning that occurred over the summer.4
next year. The Beginning School Study (BSS)
in Baltimore examined how much of the One review of 39 summer learning loss studies
achievement gap is rooted in summer learn- and meta-analysis of the 13 most recent and
ing loss. The BSS followed the scores of 800 highest quality of those studies concluded
children taking the California Achievement that in math all children lose an average of
Test (CAT) in the fall and spring from 1982- 2.6 months of learning. In reading, however,
1987 from grades one through five. The study middle-class children gain knowledge and
concluded that: skills while low-income children lose them.
The combined reading and math summer loss
• Children from a lower socio-economic average is about three months.5
background start out behind their middle-

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The cumulative impact of drop out of school, end up in the criminal justice system, or become
summer learning loss over the productive in the workforce. An ever-growing group of students who do
course of the first five years of not read proficiently creates a series of problems that place an economic
school is almost three years. burden on society, including costs of remediation and lost wages.

It is critical that changes occur at the local level and in state legislation The Alliance for Excellent Education estimates that if
to better address the crisis of summer learning loss and its impact on
our most vulnerable students. 1,200,000
Startling disparities among racial and socio-economic popula-
tions are evident in the 2011 National Assessment of Educational high-school dropouts from the class of 2011 had earned
Progress (NAEP) test scores in Reading. Of all fourth graders who their degrees, the U.S. economy would have benefitted
took the NAEP in reading, 34 percent scored below basic. Sadly, from an additional
among the nation’s—and Georgia’s—minority populations, the
percentage of children scoring below basic almost doubled. At $154,000,000,000
the national level 51 percent of black children and 50 percent of
Hispanic children scored below basic. In Georgia 49 percent of in wages over these students’ lifetimes.
black children and 40 percent of Hispanic children scored below
basic. Only 23 percent of white fourth graders at the national At this rate
level, and 22 percent in Georgia, scored below basic in reading
on the NAEP. 12,000,000
Socio-economic status has a negative impact in determining the
amount of quality educational experiences and resources available to high-school dropouts over the next decade would cost our
students. Summer learning loss exacerbates the socio-economic achieve- nation more than
ment gap since children from lower socio-economic backgrounds
typically start school lagging behind their peers.6 $1,500,000,000,000.7
Implementing targeted efforts to address the racial and socio-
economic disparities in the achievement gap is essential, or this
continued under-achievement will create a class of youth and adults
unprepared to be productive citizens. The ability to read proficiently
by the end of third grade is a strong predictor of whether a child will

In Georgia, the

60,600

students who did not graduate in 2011 lost lifetime earnings of

$7,800,000,000.

MAY 2012 If all high-school students graduated college-ready, Georgia
could have saved

$121,000,000

in community college remediation and lost earnings.8

GAFCP.ORG

A Comprehensive Approach

The far-reaching consequences of summer learning loss call for change on every level
in how students are educated and the educational opportunities available to them. Here
are some evidenced-based recommendations to close up the achievement gap:

For Legislators and • Create programs and policies that • Explore competitive federal-level
Public-Private Funders promote family self-sufficiency. grant programs to fund initiatives
Support and fully fund education policies With these in place, poverty will no to combat summer learning loss.
that promote innovative research and longer be a factor in determining Competitive grant programs, like Race
proven practices. whether or not families can afford to the Top, encourage innovative ideas
summer learning and enrichment to increase and expand year-long
• Expand and invest in quality early opportunities for their children. learning opportunities for all students.
childhood education, including
universal Pre-K. Taking a proactive For School Officials For Parents and Community Members
approach will ensure that early- All stakeholders in a school district must You are your children’s first teacher. Get
education level interventions are in collaborate on how to offer affordable, involved in their education and reinforce
place before a gap can even open. quality summer learning programs for at home what they learn in school.
all children.
• Increase funding for summer • Talk to your children. Tell them
programs. Additional funding will • Extend the school day or year. stories about yourself and get them to
allow community-based organizations Teachers will have more time to share stories with you.
to convene local partners to close remediate students who fall behind
gaps and fulfill unmet needs. during summer break, and provide • Select an affordable summer
enrichment for their advanced peers. program. Schools, colleges, and
• Increase funding for research An extended day would ultimately recreation centers offer educational
opportunities that generate practical allow teachers to spend fewer days on enrichment programs.
solutions to combat summer remediation tasks.
learning loss. More solutions and • Visit your local public library. They
proven strategies will keep every child • Modify the school calendar. Shorter, are free and often provide programs
on track to read at or above grade frequent breaks year-round can help that keep children engaged throughout
level by the end of third grade. decrease the depth of knowledge and the summer.
skills children lose over time.
• Require school systems to allocate • Explore local attractions. Museums,
and report on funding used to • Change the criteria for summer- parks, and zoos serve as engaging
support summer learning programs. school attendance requirements. summer learning opportunities.
Accountability and transparency will Extending summer learning
enable school districts to adequately opportunities to students at risk—but • Prepare for the upcoming school
serve all children. Ample funding is not yet lagging behind—prevents the year. Ask your child’s teacher for a
critical since low-performing districts achievement gap from opening. list of books and activities for the
typically have high-poverty areas. summer.

Conclusion by Ashley Mitchell
Georgia Family Connection Partnership
While a focus on summer learning is a step in the right direction, participation in summer
learning programs alone cannot completely close the achievement gap. It will take a systematic Research Associate
approach—sustained over time—connecting families, school districts, communities, and legisla- [email protected]
tors in addressing the academic, socio-emotional, and economic needs of children and families
to plug up the gap that has plagued our state and nation for so long.

1. Annie E. Casey Foundation. 2010. Early Warning! Why 6. Miller, 4. 10. Ibid
Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters. Baltimore: 7. Alliance for Excellence in Education.2011.The High Cost 11. Ibid
Annie E.Casey Foundation. 12. Ibid
of High School Dropouts: What the Nation Pays for Inad- 13. Brenda McLaughlin and Jeffery Smink. 2009. Summer
2. Beth Miller. 2007. The Untapped Power of Summer to equate High Schools. www.all4ed.org. Washington, D.C.
Advance Student Achievement: The Learning Season. 8. Alliance for Excellence in Education.2012. Georgia High Learning: Moving from the Periphery to the Core: The
Massachussetts:The Nellie Mae Foundation. www.nmefdn.org Schools,. www.all4ed.org Washington, D.C. Progress of Education Reform,10(3):6.
9. National Association of Summer Learning. 2010. Summer 14. Ibid, 6.
3. Miller, 3. Learning Spells Success: What parents can to do keep kids
4. Miller, 3-4. sharp over the summer.www.summerlearning.org
5. Miller, 3.