10 Things Parents Can Do to Help Their Child Start the School Year Strong
National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) and Learning Heroes Offer a Mid-Summer Primer for School Success
Baltimore, MD, July 25, 2018 – Summertime in America means baseball, barbecues, amusement park rides, bubbles, and fireflies. The summer months or the “offseason,” for students also present a classic case of the Summer Slide, a well-documented phenomenon where kids can lose up to three months of progress in reading and math skills learned during the previous school year. These losses add up, particularly for low income students, and can leave vulnerable students treading water or falling behind their higher income peers. (See the National Summer Learning Association’s Infographic: Summer by the Numbers). The good news is there are many free and fun ways all parents can help prevent the Summer Slide, without missing all of the joys of summertime.
“Coaches don’t tell their players to quit training during the off-season. The off-season presents a special opportunity for athletes to develop strength, skills, and stamina in training programs that may differ from their workouts during the regular season,” said Matthew Boulay PhD, Founder and CEO of the National Summer Learning Association. “In the same way, our goals and plans for summer learning for our children can be different than what happens during the school year.”