Every Summer Counts: A Longitudinal Analysis of Outcomes from the National Summer Learning Project

The largest and longest study of its kind on summer learning programs reveals short- and long-term benefits among students who consistently attended voluntary, five- to six-week summer learning programs. The findings suggest that these programs can be an important component of how school districts support learning and skill development among children in low-income communities.

The study, conducted by the RAND Corporation, followed nearly 6,000 students in five urban school districts from the end of 3rd grade through the spring of 7th grade, comparing students selected to attend the summer programs prior to 4th and 5th grade to those who applied but were not selected. The districts—Boston; Dallas; Duval County, Fla.; Pittsburgh; and Rochester, N.Y.—joined with local out-of-school time intermediaries and community partners to participate in Wallace’s National Summer Learning Project (NSLP), which was launched in 2011 to understand the implementation and effectiveness of voluntary summer learning programs.