{"id":19150,"date":"2018-05-29T20:22:19","date_gmt":"2018-05-30T00:22:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michiganvirtual.site.strattic.io\/blog\/"},"modified":"2024-01-31T15:51:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T20:51:24","slug":"how-to-avoid-the-summer-slide-without-giving-up-your-hard-earned-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michiganvirtual.org\/blog\/how-to-avoid-the-summer-slide-without-giving-up-your-hard-earned-break\/","title":{"rendered":"How to avoid the “summer slide” without giving up your hard-earned break"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Updated May 27, 2021.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

By the time June rolls around, most students and educators alike are sprinting toward the light at the end of the tunnel: The one, the only, hard-earned and highly-coveted\u00a0summer break.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

After nine months of tireless work, they surely deserve it. But it\u2019s hard to talk about summer break without also talking about the elephant in the room: The dreaded \u201csummer slide.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

The more we learn about the effects of summer learning loss on students, the harder and harder it becomes to ignore. At a time when budgets are strapped and students are struggling, it\u2019s difficult to justify wasting time and resources by spending each Fall reteaching content that is lost over the summer.<\/p>

In this blog post, we\u2019ll cover the basics of the summer slide \u2014 what and who are at risk and why \u2014 as well some tips and tricks for mitigating the effects of summer learning loss.<\/p>

The Importance of Summer Learning<\/h2>

As much as we love summer break, its original function was not to relieve exhausted and overworked educators and students.<\/p>

Many argue that nine-month school calendar is\u00a0a relic of the agricultural era<\/a>\u00a0when 85 percent of Americans worked in the agricultural industry. This perspective claims that \u2014 at a time when only three percent of Americans work in this industry \u2014 this model no longer holds water.<\/p>

Others have made\u00a0compelling cases<\/a>\u00a0that the creation of the 9-month calendar had less to do with accommodating farmers and more to do with the lack of modern air-conditioning technology, which resulted in sweltering classrooms that were not conducive to learning.<\/p>

Regardless of its roots,\u00a0many studies have corroborated<\/a>\u00a0that summer break has a negative impact on student learning. On average, it is predicted that students lose about one month\u2019s worth of learning over the summer. In math and reading, these predictions are even more drastic, with an\u00a0estimated two months of learning loss in some studies.<\/p>

\"\"

“Summer by the Numbers”<\/a> infographic created by the\u00a0<\/em>National Summer Learning Association<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>

This atrophy wastes valuable time in school at the beginning of the next Fall when students have to relearn much of what was lost over the summer. Some estimates suggest that\u00a0teachers spend up to\u00a0six weeks\u00a0<\/i>each Fall re-teaching old material<\/a>.<\/p>

The worst part? Research shows that the summer slide has its greatest impact on students of low socioeconomic status, whose parents are not able to provide the same summer learning opportunities as wealthier parents \u2014 from summer camps to educational trips to museums, zoos, etc. to books and other school supplies.<\/p>

In fact, some even claim that summer learning explains\u00a0up to two-thirds of the income-based achievement gap<\/a>.<\/p>

Together, these statistics ought to inspire us to act. Whether or not summer break is here to stay, we must find creative solutions to mitigate summer learning loss and close the income-based achievement gap.<\/p>

Ways to Avoid the \u201cSummer Slide\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>

When it comes to summer learning, there are many ways to help kids keep their skills sharp and their minds engaged. \u00a0You can encourage parents to consider the following options this summer:<\/p>