Are Year-Round Enrichment Programs the Answer to Summer Learning Loss?

AMERICAN GRADUATE -- August 21, 2012 at 9:57 AM EDT

Are Year-Round Enrichment Programs the Answer to Summer Learning Loss?

NewsHour photo by Mike Fritz

Few things conjure up childhood nostalgia like summer vacation. Yet the long period away from school is often cited by education experts as a crucial factor in explaining why some students fall behind in subjects like math, reading and science every year.

Recent studies like the ones conducted by the RAND Corporation and Wallace Foundation and the Harvard Family Research Project show that "summer learning loss" (what kids forget while on vacation) has a greater impact on low-income students.

The NewsHour's American Graduate team recently traveled to Seattle to profile an organization called "Rainier Scholars," a non-profit that accepts 60 to 65 low-income, minority students annually, selecting from over 600 applications. The 11-year program, which lasts through college graduation, was designed to not only stem loss but also to move students forward during the summer months.

A version of this report will appear on Tuesday's NewsHour.

Related stories:

American Graduate is a public media initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America find solutions to address the dropout crisis.

Follow @newshouramgrad

Beginning October 24, 2012, PBS NewsHour will allow open commenting for all registered users. We hope that the elimination of our moderation process will enable a more organic discussion amongst you, our audience. However, if a commenter violates our terms of use or abuses the commenting forum, their comment will be removed. We reserve the right to remove posts that do not follow these basic guidelines: comments must be relevant to the topic of the post; may not include profanity, personal attacks or hate speech; may not promote a business or raise money; may not be spam. Anything you post should be your own work. The PBS NewsHour reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its website or in any medium now known or unknown the comments or emails that we receive. By submitting comments, you agree to the PBS Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which include more details.

*NewsHour photo by Mike Fritz* Few things conjure up childhood nostalgia like summer vacation. Yet the long period away from school is often cited by education experts as a crucial factor in explaining why some students fall behind in subjects like math, reading and science every year. Recent studies like the ones conducted [by the RAND Corporation and Wallace Foundation](http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/summer-and-extended-learning-time/summer-learning/Pages/Making-Summer-Count-How-Summer-Programs-Can-Boost-Childrens-Learning.aspx) and the [Harvard Family Research Project](http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/year-round-learning-linking-school-afterschool-and-summer-learning-to-support-student-success) show that "summer learning loss" (what kids forget while on vacation) has a greater impact on low-income students. The NewsHour's American Graduate team recently traveled to Seattle to profile an organization called "[Rainier Scholars](http://www.rainierscholars.org/)," a non-profit that accepts 60 to 65 low-income, minority students annually, selecting from over 600 applications. The 11-year program, which lasts through college graduation, was designed to not only stem loss but also to move students forward during the summer months.
*A version of this report will appear on Tuesday's NewsHour.* **Related stories:** - [In Rhode Island, Reinventing Summer School to Prevent Kids' Learning Loss](http://to.pbs.org/NdJmKh) - [School's Out But PBS NewsHour Summer Programs Keep Young Reporters Busy](http://to.pbs.org/Ou5g90) - [From Middle School to College, Six Tips for Educational Success](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/08/a-is-for-accountability.html) - [Additional reports on the dropout crisis](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/topic/american-graduate/) *[American Graduate](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/topic/american-graduate/) is a public media initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America find solutions to address the dropout crisis.* Follow @newshouramgrad