This study examined factors that influence urban school districts’ student achievement during the summer. It drew on existing literature, program cost data, and interviews with leaders of national organizations, summer learning providers, school districts, and city governments. 

By drawing on existing literature, program cost data, and interviews with leaders of national organizations, summer learning providers, school districts, and city governments, the study examined multiple aspects of the factors that influence urban districts’ student achievement (including loss and learning) during the summer.

The researchers sought to address four questions:

1. What is the nature of summer learning loss? 

2. Are summer learning programs effective in improving student achievement?  What are the elements of effective summer programs? 

3. How much do summer learning programs cost? 

4. What are the facilitators and challenges to implementing summer programs?

To answer the first two research questions on the extent of summer learning loss and the effectiveness of summer learning programs, the research team conducted literature reviews on summer learning loss and on the effectiveness of summer learning programs. To examine cost, the researchers conducted a literature review to identify common funding sources for summer programs, collected detailed cost data from seven summer learning programs, and determined the programs’ costs and the primary reasons for the variation among them. To address the fourth research question, they conducted interviews with representatives from national organizations, national providers of summer learning programs, and district officials involved in providing summer programming to understand the factors that facilitate and challenge the implementation of summer programming for urban districts’ students in kindergarten through eighth grade.