A quick search on the Internet using the key words “Summer Achievement Gap” will yield several research studies that claim the United State’s long summer vacation is a significant cause of under-achievement for many of our students and exacerbates the achievement gap between low income students and their more affluent peers. It’s not the only cause and might not even be the main cause, but it’s a significant cause nonetheless.
When two months go by without any academic enrichment, students don’t just stagnate. That would not be so bad. Rather, they begin to forget what they learned, which adversely affects their ability to meet the rigor of the next school year.
These studies show that achievement typically grows at about the same rate for all students during the school year but begin to diverge during the summer months putting students with no enrichment opportunities at a significant disadvantage! Students who read over the summer and hone their skills in Math and English, not surprisingly, do far better than students who don’t. They are not smarter. They just put in a few hours in over the summer.
Summer is a great time to fill any knowledge gaps that will be needed for the subsequent school year or even to get a head start. Students can move at their own pace, which will put them on much better footing for whatever the next school year brings. If a student goes into the next school year without a good understanding of concepts they should have learned in the prior year, they are not set up for success. And with every year that passes it gets worse and worse. We see it in our test scores.
Participating in a summer program is a small investment that will pay dividends over the student’s lifetime. If you are a CHML parent of a third or fourth grader, this is a great time to get a tutor. We have a group of free tutors available that will work on your schedule. It is typically only one hour per week of your commitment. See our contact page for more info.
An article by Johns Hopkins University titled Why Summer Learning Deserves a Front-Row Seat in the Education Reform Arena has a good treatment of the issue. References on this topic go back to 1906! http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/Journals/spring2010/why-summer-learning/index.html
It Takes a Village 