Search

Longitudinal studies can produce biased estimates of learning if children miss tests. In an application to summer learning, we illustrate how missing test scores can create an illusion of large summer learning gaps when true gaps are close to zero. We demonstrate two methods that reduce bias by exploiting the correlations between missing and observed scores on fall and spring tests taken by the same child. One method uses those correlations to multiply impute missing scores. The other method models the correlations implicitly, using child-level random effects. Widespread adoption of these methods would improve the validity of summer learning studies and other longitudinal research in education.

Summer programming is one of the main ways school districts have sought to help students recover academically from COVID-19 pandemic-related setbacks. Authors use a survey administered to a nationally representative sample of kindergarten through grade 12 public school districts to investigate the prevalence and structure of districts' programming in summer 2023. Authors use these results to describe the prevalence of district-offered summer programming in 2023; examine details about elementary and secondary programs, in terms of their eligibility criteria, length, and academic and nonacademic offerings; discuss how districts approached their summer academic instruction; and look at districts' expectations about funding for summer 2024. Because experiences with summer learning programming can vary by district context, the authors examine differences in districts' survey responses by locale (urban, suburban, rural), poverty status (low poverty, high poverty), student racial/ethnic composition (majority white students, majority students of color), and enrollment size (small, medium, large). This research is part of a series intended to provide brief analyses of educator survey results of immediate interest to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.

This paper documents the impact of home libraries on academic achievement, economic success, and health. It summarizes research that shows how children without access to reading materials at home are more likely to suffer learning losses when out of school and how home libraries are one of schools' and communities' best tools to combat learning loss. In sum, the paper illustrates the importance of creating a literacy-rich home environment for all children and outlines the essential components of a student home library--a tangible, cost-effective way to afford every child access to a bright, successful future. [This report was prepared by Scholastic Research & Validation.]

To make up for pandemic-related learning losses, many U.S. public school districts have increased enrollment in their summer school programs. We assess summer school as a strategy for COVID-19 learning recovery by tracking the academic progress of students who attended summer school in 2022 across eight districts serving 400,000 students. Based on students' spring to fall progress, we find a positive impact for summer school on math test achievement (0.03 standard deviation, SD), but not on reading tests. These effects are predominantly driven by students in upper elementary grades. To put the results into perspective, if we assume that these districts have losses similar to those present at the end of the 2022-23 school year (i.e., approximately -0.2 SD), we estimate summer programming closed approximately 2% to 3% of the districts' total learning losses in math, but none in reading.

This report describes the impact of the 2021 AISD multilingual summer school program on incoming kindergarten and 1st-grade emergent bilingual students' (N = 933) fall academic performance. Relative to matched comparison groups, students who attended summer school were significantly more likely to score on-track on TX-KEA in kindergarten. While 1st graders' attendance of the summer school did not seem to directly impact their performance on MAP Growth, it did seem indirectly related based on students' testing language.

The Department for Education (DfE) provided funding for secondary schools to establish short face-to-face summer schools over the 2021 summer holiday, to help them make up for learning lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lasting for one or two weeks, summer schools involved a blend of academic learning and enrichment activities and were intended to complement transition work that schools might normally undertake. Schools determined which pupils, from any year group, would most benefit from a summer school, although it was anticipated that there would be a focus on pupils transitioning into year 7. This transition is known to be a challenging one for some pupils, and the impacts of the pandemic increased this challenge. A range of data was collected by the DfE to assess the effectiveness of the summer school programme. CooperGibson Research was commissioned to conduct analysis of survey and management information (MI) data relating to the programme, triangulating findings where possible. This report presents the findings of this analysis.

The Running Start Summer School Pilot program was established in 2020 by House Bill 2864 and enacted as Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 28A.630.600. To determine whether the summer term should be funded under the Running Start Program, a summer pilot was created to evaluate interest in and barriers to expanding the Running Start program to include the summer term. The pilot program was implemented at Skagit Valley College, South Puget Sound Community College, and Yakima Valley College in the summer of 2021, but was not funded for a second year. In the summer of 2022, Summer Running Start was made available at all community and technical colleges through a combination of state proviso and federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding. While some recommendations draw from the experience of scaling Summer Running Start in 2022, the outcomes and data presented in this report are reflective of the 2021 pilot only. As required by the statute, the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) and Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) have collaborated on this report to document pilot highlights and provide recommendations for future consideration.

The Department for Education (DfE) commissioned Ipsos MORI, in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) and the Centre for Education and Youth (CfEY), to carry out research among primary and secondary schools to understand how they have responded to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and what further support they believe they need looking forwards. This report presents interim findings from the first year of the research, conducted in the 2020/21 academic year. It is based on data collected from school leaders and their responses to an online survey (1,018 survey responses in total) and 40 qualitative interviews. The research is set to continue in the 2021/22 academic year.

This study examined how the MCPS summer programs alleviated learning disruption and contributed to students' recovery in mathematics, literacy, and socioemotional learning skills. This report examines the impact of the 2021 summer programs on students' mathematics and literacy skills using pretests and posttests for the summer program, fall and spring 2021 Measures of Academic Progress in Reading/Reading Fluency (MAP-R/RF), and Mathematics (MAP-M). Online surveys were used to gather information on the impact of the summer program on social-emotional learning (SEL) for middle and high school students.

Each year, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) offers a summer education program designed to assist students with a variety of instructional needs. In 2021, centrally coordinated summer school programs included accelerated instruction for State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) re-testers; bilingual or English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for English Learners (ELs); credit accrual/recovery for students needing to graduate; Extended School Year (ESY) services; Promotion/Retention classes; and other school-based programs. The summer education program supports HISD's Board Goal 3: Academic Growth. This report shows student enrollment and outcomes for students who attended summer school in 2021 based on either retention status at the end of spring 2020 or for other reasons, such as academic enrichment. This report addresses eligibility, enrollment, attendance, and outcomes for the 2021 HISD summer school program.

While teaching summer school may require similar skills as reading intervention during the year, rarely are summer school instructors reading specialists. To support these instructors providing high quality instruction, this research study examined the impact of the 95 Phonics Booster Bundle: Summer School Edition (SSE). The SSE is a set of 25 fully-scripted lessons with HTML presentation files designed to quickly bolster phonics skills that had been covered in the previous school year. 95 Percent Group hired LXD Research to conduct an independent evaluation of the SSE. LXD Research designed a quasi-experimental study to determine the ability of SSE to support literacy skill development over the summer months. The Acadience Reading assessment was administered to assess student outcomes (testing occurred in the Spring and Fall). Study 1 used one SSE lesson a day over six weeks, and Study 2 intensively used two SSE lessons a day over one month. LXD Research collected data from 958 students in grades 1-3 to determine the efficacy of the 95 Phonics Booster Bundle SSE product. 479 students were assigned to use SSE and 479 were included as statistically similar comparison students who did not use SSE. The study was conducted in Summer 2021, and spanned two school districts, one in California (63% Hispanic) and one in Arizona (46% Hispanic). Rising first graders who completed one SSE lesson a day across six weeks outperformed similar students who did not attend summer school, according to the Acadience Reading assessment, where SSE students showed an 8-point gain compared to a 6-point slide. For rising third graders who were Well Below Benchmark, students who completed two SSE lessons a day for one month outperformed non-SSE students on Acadience Reading, showing a 16-point gain compared to a 4-point slide. Results for other groups were comparable to the comparison students. The significance of the findings and the rigorous study design provide support for 95 Phonics Booster Bundle SSE as a program that meets the criteria for ESSA Level 2. The findings indicate that the 95 Phonics Booster Bundle SSE is a powerful tool for schools to use to support early literacy and reading development. [This report was produced by LXD Research and 95 Percent Group.]

The report, "Time for a Game-Changing Summer, With Opportunity and Growth for All of America's Youth," finds that as participation in summer programs prior to the pandemic was on an upwards trajectory, there remained a significant number of children missing out. For every child in a summer learning program in 2019, another would have been enrolled in a program if one were available. Among Latinx or Hispanic families, the demand for summer programs, both met and unmet demand, is also strong. Half of Latinx or Hispanic children were in a summer program in 2019, or would have been enrolled in a program if one were available to them. For Latinx families, the summer is viewed as a time for infinite possibilities, where in addition to high demand for summer programs there are also high expectations for their children's summer programs. The value of summer programs among Latinx families remained steadfast during the pandemic, with 4 in 5 Latinx parents agreeing with the statement that, "all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer programs." Forty-four percent of Latinx families report a child was involved in a summer program, an increase from 39 percent in 2013 and 29 percent in 2008. This translates into more than 2.7 million Latinx children (19 percent) who took part in a structured summer experience--which includes participation in a summer learning program, sports program, summer camp, summer school, or summer job or internship, and is different from child care--during the 2019 summer. [For "Time for a Game-Changing Summer, with Opportunity and Growth for All of America's Youth," see ED614122.]

The report "Time for a Game-Changing Summer, With Opportunity and Growth for All of America's Youth," finds that as participation in summer programs prior to the pandemic was on an upwards trajectory, there remained a significant number of children missing out. For every child in a summer learning program in 2019, another would have been enrolled in a program if one were available. Children in families with low incomes were more likely to miss out. Demand for summer programs, both met and unmet, is great among Black families, where approximately half of Black children (49 percent) were in a summer program in 2019 or would have been enrolled in a program if one were available to them. For Black families, the summer is viewed as a time for infinite possibilities, where in addition to high demand for summer programs, there are also high expectations for their children's summer programs. The value of summer programs among Black families remained steadfast during the pandemic, with approximately 4 in 5 Black parents (78 percent) agreeing with the statement that "all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer programs." The strong level of satisfaction for summer programs among African American families may contribute to the high level of participation. More than 2 in 3 Black parents (68 percent) report that they were extremely satisfied with their child's structured summer experience, with 95 percent of Black parents reporting that they were satisfied overall. For the first time, the report projects the number of children participating in a structured summer experience--which includes participation in a summer learning program, sports program, summer camp, summer school, or summer job or internship, and is different from child care--and finds that nearly 1.9 million Black children (22 percent) took part in a structured summer experience during the 2019 summer. [For "Time for a Game-Changing Summer, with Opportunity and Growth for All of America's Youth," see ED614122."]

For many students, the summer is a time for family vacations, new friendships, new adventures in camps and summer learning programs, or taking summer classes to catch up or get ahead in school. For some families, affordable summer programs and camps can be a lifeline, while other families who may not be able to afford summer programs or activities struggle because they lose access to free and reduced-price school meals or because parents are not able to take time off from work to care for their children. Until now, a complete picture of what summer looks like was obscured by a lack of data. The 2020 edition of America After 3PM is designed to build a better understanding of how young people are spending their summers and to dig deeper into the types of summer experiences children across America have. This most recent national household survey of parents and guardians of school-age children includes responses from nearly 30,000 households regarding how their child or children were cared for during the summer of 2019. With the pandemic radically changing the landscape of summer 2020, as typical summer experiences were cancelled or changed to meet health and safety protocols, the Afterschool Alliance commissioned nationally representative follow-up surveys of parents and program providers to accompany America After 3PM data in order to learn how COVID-19 changed young people's summer experiences. "Time for a Game-Changing Summer, with Opportunity and Growth for All of America's Youth" reviews the America After 3PM summer 2019 findings, with 2020 parent and provider summer survey data included to shed light on what young people are experiencing during the pandemic. This data can be helpful as families, educators, and policymakers debate the best supports for young people after more than a year of pandemic conditions. Key findings from the study include: (1) Participation in summer programs soars as more than 9 in 10 parents report satisfaction; (2) Academic enrichment is important, but parents prioritize building connections, exploration, and being active in the summer; (3) Despite the increase in the number of families with a child in a summer program, there is high unmet demand during the 2019 summer and significant inequities; and (4) More parents than ever before support public funding for summer programs. [For the executive summary, see ED614120.]

For many students, the summer is a time for family vacations, new friendships, new adventures in camps and summer learning programs, or taking summer classes to catch up or get ahead in school. For some families, affordable summer programs and camps can be a lifeline, while other families who may not be able to afford summer programs or activities struggle because they lose access to free and reduced-price school meals or because parents are not able to take time off from work to care for their children. Until now, a complete picture of what summer looks like--who is engaged in enriching learning experiences and who is missing out on these opportunities--was obscured by a lack of data. The 2020 edition of America After 3PM is designed to build a better understanding of how young people are spending their summers and to dig deeper into the types of summer experiences children across America have. This executive summary presents highlights from "Time for a Game-Changing Summer, with Opportunity and Growth for All of America's Youth," a report that reviews the America After 3PM summer 2019 findings. The full report also includes 2020 parent and provider summer survey data to shed light on what young people are experiencing during the pandemic. This data can be helpful as families, educators, and policymakers debate the best supports for young people after more than a year of pandemic conditions. [For the full report, see ED614122.]

This report examines the beginning-of-year (BOY) reading performance of emergent bilingual students who attended virtual summer school in June 2020. Students' performance on the Texas Kindergarten Entry Assessment (TX-KEA) and MAP reading assessment was compared to that of similar emergent bilingual students who did not attend the summer school program. Students who attended the virtual, bilingual summer school program outperformed the comparison group of students on most assessments.

In March 2018, the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) Board of Higher Education adopted Board Policy R751, "Institutional Facilities Space Utilization" to provide systemwide standards for the utilization of classrooms and teaching laboratories, as well as an annual reporting requirement. The policy encourages the optimization of institutional space and more efficient allocation of institutional resources in the assignment and utilization of available space. As required by the policy, USHE institutions submitted utilization information for the 2019-20 academic year according to prescribed procedures developed by the Office of the Commissioner. Institutions also submitted institutional reports describing utilization goals and accomplishments for 2019-20. This report captures these submissions and organizes the information into two sections: (1) System overview; and (2) Individual institutional information. The systemwide overview provides institutional main campus utilization for both classrooms and teaching laboratories. The overview includes a summary of institutional challenges relating to utilization, institutional progress in centralizing scheduling and creating policy, and actions taken to improve summer utilization. Individual institution utilization information comprises the majority of this report and includes four major subsections: (1) the first subsection charts total institution, main campus, and branch campus utilization in classrooms and teaching labs compared to USHE standards. The charts include a comparison with last year's (2018-19) utilization reporting, where available, to show year-over-year trends; (2) the second subsection lists classroom utilization by building and campus as well as by term (spring, fall, summer), including the number of rooms and seats available for scheduling in a building; (3) the third subsection shows a similar table for teaching laboratories; and (4) the final section records institutional answers to the questions asked by the Office of the Commissioner for the 2019-20 utilization report. This report is intended to be a starting point for continued dialogue and information gathering related to USHE space utilization. Space utilization reported herein refers to credit-bearing courses taught in classrooms and laboratories--the quantifiable portion of the total actual utilization occurring on USHE institution campuses.

Each year, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) offers a summer education program designed to assist students with a variety of instructional needs. Centrally coordinated summer school programs in 2020 included accelerated instruction for State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) re-testers; bilingual or English as Second Language (ESL) classes for English Learners (ELs); credit accrual/recovery for students needing to graduate; Extended School Year (ESY) services; Promotion/Retention classes; and other school-based programs. The summer education program supports HISD's Board Goal 3: Academic Growth. This report shows student enrollment and outcomes for students who attended summer school in 2020 based on either retention status at the end of spring 2020 or for other reasons, such as academic enrichment. [For the 2018-2019 report, see ED603800.]

The aim of this report is threefold. Its first section provides an overall sketch of the situation across Europe and the underlying mechanisms for the differences in European countries. The second section focuses on the heterogeneities within each country. It examines the disparities among students in order to understand which of those correlate with larger learning deficits or worsening mental health. Section 3, considers the findings of the first two sections in order to discuss five policy recommendations for the short and long run.

This report examines the implementation of the Securing Opportunities for Academic Recovery (SOAR) program that operated during the summer of 2020 at 31 schools. The program was designed to mitigate academic deficits that resulted from the shutdown of schools due to the Coronavirus pandemic. SOAR was implemented in two phases: Recovery and Regain. The Recovery Phase (Summer Term A, June 9 through July 10, 2020) targeted students who needed to "recover" content they may have missed, to close achievement gaps of skills that are foundational for future academic success, or to provide support for English language learners and Special Education students. Recovery was comprised of four initiatives: (1) Summer Reading Camps; (2) Credit Recovery; (3) Unengaged Learners; and (4) Extended School Year Services. The Regain Phase (Summer Term B, July 11 through August 10, 2020) targeted grade 9 Algebra students and grade 10 English Language Arts students who did not get the opportunity to take the state assessments required for graduation. Across all the components that operated in the elementary and secondary schools, fewer than 60% of students completed their studies. Among those who completed their studies, attendance was significantly better at the Summer Reading Camps but worse at Credit Recovery than was seen during Summer 2019.

This First Look report presents selected findings from transcript data collected through the Postsecondary Education Transcript Study (PETS) for the 2011-12 cohort of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:12). The students in the 2011-12 cohort were selected during the 2011-12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:12), a cross-sectional study focused on student financial aid. The selected students were nationally representative of undergraduates who entered postsecondary education for the first time in the 2011-12 academic year. The purpose of this report is to illustrate the range of information available in the PETS data. The selected findings present examples of the estimates that can be obtained from the data and are not intended to address any particular issue.