Although the school year may be over, learning hasn’t stopped. As students dive into summer by exploring new books, attending camps, spending time with friends and family, enjoying downtime, playing sports, or participating in summer school, they continue to build knowledge, skills, and experiences they will carry into the fall.
Positive Impacts of Summer Learning
In the face of tight budgets, educators and leaders may question the return on investment in structured summer school programming. They may wonder about the specific benefits for students and the broader community and seek ways to ensure that all summer learning—whether formal or informal—translates into lasting academic and social gains.
Recent research emphasizes the myriad benefits of both summer school and afterschool programs, highlighting how learning beyond the traditional classroom enhances student well-being, engagement, and achievement. Districts that invest in summer learning programs can expect meaningful returns, as participation in structured summer and afterschool programs is associated with:
- Improved school attendance and engagement, including reductions in chronic absenteeism and more positive attitudes toward school
- Stronger academic performance, including higher grades and gains in reading and math proficiency
- Enhanced well-being, with increases in prosocial behaviors (e.g., helping others) and decreases in behaviors that may cause harm
For more details, read the full report, Evaluating Afterschool: The Latest Research on the Impact of Afterschool and Summer Programs.
Harvesting Summer Learning
Once summer begins to wind down and a new school year approaches, educators and school leaders can take intentional steps to surface, honor, and extend the learning students experienced over the summer:
Tips for Administrators
- Ensure strong program handoffs: Build time for summer program staff to share observations, especially around participation, growth areas, and social development. This can inform early fall planning.
- Celebrate summer learning: Recognize students’ summer learning in all forms through bulletin boards, welcome-back assemblies, or communication with families. Honor both program participation and self-directed summer learning.
- Support meaningful assessment: Encourage teachers to use both formal and informal tools to uncover what students gained, not just what may have slipped. Include opportunities for students to express in their own words what they know, can do, and care about.
Tips for Teachers
- Start with reflection. Writing prompts, journaling, or class discussions can help students process and share what they learned. Responses to prompts like “Something new I learned or tried this summer was...” or “A book I read or story I heard that stuck with me was...” can provide insight into interests and writing skills. Students can draw their response to support expression.
- Use informal and formal assessments to uncover growth. Interest surveys, short free-writes, or collaborative group tasks can reveal social skills and students’ strengths. Screeners, math tasks, or writing samples scored with rubrics can help identify academic strengths and challenges.