Many districts target summer school only for students at risk of repeating a grade, but a new Rand Corp. evaluation suggests students who consistently attend high-quality summer programs outperform peers in math, English, and social-emotional skills.
The researchers studied voluntary summer programs in the Wallace Foundation’s National Summer Learning Project for rising 4th graders. They found significant benefits for students who attended two years in a row. Among the report’s recommendations:
• Start planning for the coming summer no later than January.
• Run programs for five to six weeks with three to four hours of learning each day.
• Hire teachers with grade-level and subject-matter experience.
