If you’re the parent of a school-aged kid, understanding the following three facts could turn this summer into a game changer for your child:
- At the end of summer vacation, students are, on average, an entire month behind where they were when school let out for summer
- Summer learning loss is cumulative over a child’s school career
- Summer learning programs can make up for summer learning loss and even lead to achievement gains
These are among the findings of a study conducted by RAND Education. The study, commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, is the most comprehensive research on summer learning to date. This loss of knowledge and educational skills that takes place over summer vacation is commonly called the “summer slide.” How can you keep it from happening to your child?
- Start by having your child read six books this summer. Research shows that reading just six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing.
- Encourage your child to keep learnng. Have him or her watch Sylvia’s Super-Awesome Maker Show and try some of her D-I-Y projects, experiments, and crafts. (This 11-year-old has a YouTube following of 1.5 million science-minded kids and parents!)
- Finally, check into academic enrichment for your child. Summer programs for kids can mitigate summer learning loss and even generate gains. Eye Level is different from tutoring in that it doesn’t redeliver information, but instead strengthens the cognitive skills the brain uses to think, learn, read, and pay attention, making learning easier from that point forward.
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