Summer Learning Loss & Recommended Reads

Julie Finck, Ph.D.

Summer learning loss, also known as the “summer slide,” refers to the amount of academic information that students forget during the months when school is closed. According to research, children can lose up to three months of reading skills and a month of math competence if they do not practice these skills over the summer. Furthermore, the effects of summer learning loss are cumulative, such by the time struggling young readers reach middle school, learning loss can compound to a two-year lag in reading achievement. Children of low-income families are especially vulnerable to experiencing the summer slide and its long-term effects, which include dropping out of school.

A key mitigator of summer learning loss for children is simple – read, read, read! In fact, not only does reading over the summer combat learning loss, but it can also lead to increasing academic ground for children. Yes, the Cat in the Hat was right when he said, “The more you read, the more you know, and the more you know, the smarter you grow.”

Unfortunately, according to research conducted in 2019 by our partners at Scholastic, 32% of youth ages 15-17 indicated that they read zero books during the summer, with 14% of children ages 9-11 indicating they also read no books during the summer, both percentages up from their 2016 study. Access to books in the home and parent awareness of summer learning loss are factors that are positively related to the number of books children read during the summer.

Summer learning loss is a root cause of the reading achievement gap and ultimately, the dropout rate. As a community, we must raise parental awareness of summer learning loss and spread the word that reading must be a daily habit in every home. We also must continue to invest in high-quality, affordable (or free) summer learning and reading programs for underserved children and provide them with access to books that they will enjoy reading.

The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation is proud to play a role in helping to address the summer slide in our city by supporting summer reading and book distribution programs, and sharing information with you about what the research says.