Ask an Expert: Why Summer Learning Should Be a District Priority — and How to Get It Right

The Economic Mobility Catalog’s Strategy Guide on Summer learning shares how districts can design and implement summer learning programs that prevent summer learning loss and help students develop new academic and non-academic skills.

Results for America spoke with Brenda McLaughlin and Hillary Oravec, both national experts in summer and expanded learning and Partners at The Learning Agenda (TLA), a consulting firm that helps states, cities, foundations, and cross-sector partnerships turn ambitious goals into coordinated action. In this edited interview, Hillary and Brenda share why summer learning should be a strategic priority for school districts — and what it takes to design, staff, and sustain a program that actually moves the needle for kids.

Why should summer learning be a priority for school districts?

Out-of-school time is one of the greatest untapped resources available to students. Kids spend roughly 80 percent of their waking hours outside the classroom, and summer is where that gap is widest. Schools and their community partners can use that time to help students catch up or get ahead, explore passions and careers, and deepen relationships with teachers and peers, all while supporting working families.

We know from decades of research, including a 2019 National Academies of Sciences consensus report, that summer matters for student learning and well-being. Yet youth in under-resourced communities tend to have less access to enriching summer opportunities, widening the achievement gap. A 26-year study found that program participants became stronger learners, earners, and leaders, more likely to graduate, pursue higher education, earn more, and stay engaged in their communities.

Summer can’t be a break from the core mission of schools; it's one of the most critical levers for closing gaps, backed by a growing evidence base on what works. 

What role do state education agencies play in promoting evidence-based summer learning?

States are increasingly building policy around this evidence. Texas, for example, has the Additional Days School Year (ADSY) initiative, under which eligible schools can receive funding to add up to 30 instructional days for voluntary summer learning programs. Programs include both academics and enrichment, and the results are overwhelmingly positive: In the 2022–23 school year, students in ADSY districts that received funding and technical assistance gained 10 percentage points in math, compared with 5 points in districts that received funding alone and just 2 points among nonparticipating districts.

In Alabama, summer reading camps tied to the state's Literacy Act have helped reverse, not just slow, summer learning loss, with participating students showing measurable gains rather than the flat or declining trajectories typical of non-participants.

What are the most important components of a successful summer learning program?

Planning early is probably the single most important thing a district can do. Districts participating in the National Summer Learning Project that hadn't begun planning by January were far less likely to reach their goals.

From there, research points to a consistent set of key features: Sufficient academic time on task (at least 3-4 hours per day for 5-6 weeks), personalized recruitment; well-trained staff; small classes; school year-aligned, quality instruction; cost efficiencies through community partnerships; and a positive climate with clear expectations and routines. The Wallace Foundation's Summer Learning Toolkit walks districts through each of these components step by step.

One practice that doesn't always get the attention it deserves is the quality of enrichment. The strongest enrichment programs have the same sequenced, well-planned structure as academics, and look for connections between the two without compromising what makes enrichment engaging. 

What are some effective strategies for recruiting students and families?

Recruitment has to be personalized and from trusted messengers, like educators or parent liaisons who already have relationships with families. The Wallace Foundation's Summer Learning Toolkit has a marketing guide with tools such as robocall scripts, postcards, and flyers so that programs don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Programs should make registration easy by offering as many pathways as possible, from paper forms, to sign-ups at school, to online registration. Prioritize outreach strategies that work best for families in your school community and send reminders early and often. It's also worth remembering that students are your most important "customers." Parents are more likely to enroll a child who wants to go, and students who enjoy the experience are far more likely to attend consistently.

Tuscaloosa City Schools offer an example of effective recruitment. The district paired evidence-based instruction with enrichment and delivered programs in partnership with organizations like the Boys & Girls Club and YMCA. Together, schools and community partners recruited students, broadening reach and driving enrollment.

How can summer learning programs be designed to help close academic achievement gaps?

It’s important to first be clear on who you’re serving, why, and what your program hopes to achieve. What do you know about your student population and their needs? What are your students’ interests? Programs must be engaging while advancing learning. Start with data on student needs and interests, build program goals from there, and design with attendance and engagement as priorities.

RAND’s Getting to Work on Summer Learning study elevated several practices important to academic achievement, including hiring teachers with grade-level and subject-matter experience; engaging experts in the selection or development of curriculum; and ensuring that enrichment curriculum is planned with as much intentionality as academics. Enrichment should focus on skill-building, new experiences, and student interests so that students are motivated to attend every day.

Alabama illustrates how states can prioritize funding to advance academic achievement. Its Alabama Summer Achievement Program prioritizes funding for the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools. Similarly, its competitive Alabama Summer and Afterschool Program grant prioritizes programs serving 65 percent or more students in poverty. And critically, the state routes more than half of that funding directly to community-based organizations. These organizations often have trust, physical space, and staffing capacity in under-resourced communities that schools alone can't supply.

Minimizing barriers to attendance is key: this might include free or low-cost meals and transportation, language-accessible materials and staff, and trained staff for students with disabilities. 

Who needs to be involved for a successful summer learning program?

Successful districts typically build a cross-departmental team led by someone with real decision-making authority. That team should start working together in the fall, and ideally includes community partners. The same functions that keep the school year running smoothly are needed in summer too, and they require the same level of coordination. Parents and caregivers are key partners in enrollment and attendance. And teachers' unions may be important to engage early on about staffing and hiring. And philanthropic partners frequently help fund wraparound supports that public dollars don't always cover.

Grand Prairie Independent School District in Texas assembled a steering committee of about 20 people spanning teaching and learning, data, human capital, operations, communications, and area superintendents, plus 20 more content experts across HR, ESL, special education, counseling, nursing, transportation, food service, and family engagement. That structure paid off. When the program's original champion retired, the planning process was already institutionalized and her successor stepped in without missing a beat. That's what real sustainability looks like. 

How should school districts think about hiring and training summer staff, and how might this process differ from the standard academic year?

We have anecdotal evidence about what motivates teachers to work in summer programs: Access to new curricular materials, increased pay, small class sizes, supportive adults, half-day schedules when possible, and opportunities to get to know students in a different setting. Many districts have creative staffing structures, allowing teachers to job share or work half days while community partners staff other classes and activities.

Know your ideal candidate and what would motivate them to work with you. Design your hiring strategy to incentivize early commitments, and use personalized peer or principal outreach to encourage your ideal candidates to apply. Widen the talent pool by partnering with local teacher preparation programs or AmeriCorps.

Pre-summer training is also important to a well-run program. Give teachers access to and time to practice with the curriculum before the summer begins. Offer everyone in the building training on positive youth development and behavior expectations. Model the culture you want to see in the building. 

What data should districts collect to measure the impact of summer learning?

Three categories matter most: attendance, satisfaction, and outcomes.

Attendance is the most important predictor of results: students need to attend consistently to see meaningful benefit, so tracking attendance in real time lets staff intervene quickly when a student begins to disengage.

Outcomes data tells you if a program is working; satisfaction data tells you why. Outcomes data should map to the program's goals, whether that's school-year assessments, pre- and post-tests, or social-emotional surveys. Satisfaction data from youth, families, and staff shows what's working well enough to bring people back next year. Real-time observations and course corrections throughout the summer, not just end-of-program data, give staff what they need to keep improving.