Dive Brief:
- Johns Hopkins University researchers found significant positive outcomes for students who used “SummerSail” from adaptive literacy program LightSail, which not only combated summer slide but helped students improve their Lexile scores in the summer months.
- According to eSchool News, the study found students who read on LightSail for 30 minutes per day over the summer showed up with reading levels projected for November, eliminating the summer slide, which for students from low-income families, means they lose two to three months of learning each summer.
- The study followed 280 students in New York City middle schools, 92% of whom were minorities and 89% of whom qualified for free or reduced-price lunches, and it found even students who read for as little as 15 minutes per day still achieved growth in their Lexile scores.
Dive Insight:
The summer slide is a devastating, cumulative phenomenon that leaves low-income students farther and farther behind each year. While students from wealthier families go to summer camps or other enrichment programs and keep up the skills they mastered during the school year, their peers from lower-income families are blocked from the same opportunities.
The damage from this reality has prompted many to call for a rethinking of the school year, which dates back to a very different time in our country and economy. Many charter schools feature longer school years to combat exactly the learning loss that SummerSail aims to prevent. Alternatively, cities have developed “summer of learning” programs to give more students access to enrichment opportunities when school is out. It would take major investments in teachers and facilities to shift to year-round school. In the interim, initiatives like LightSail and citywide learning programs can help fill the gap.
