STOPPING THE
SUMMER SLIDE
EXPERTS DISCUSS
THE REALITY
OF SUMMER
LEARNING LOSS AND
SHARE TIPS
FOR HOW TO
PREVENT IT.

By Jennifer Marino Walters
16 Washington FAMILY JULY 2021



AT THE END of every school year, many parents
start to worry about the “summer slide”— the loss
of knowledge and skills said to occur during summer
break. But experts disagree on just how concerned
those parents need to be.

In 2017, researchers from the Brookings
Institution examined several studies related to
summer learning loss. They found that students’
achievement scores declined by an average of one
month’s worth of school-year learning over summer
break and that those declines were worse for math
than for reading. Additionally, the National Summer
Learning Association says the extent of summer
learning loss is worse for lower-income students.

But other experts say the summer slide is not so
dramatic. “When you parcel out the data that support
the summer slide theory, you see that reading and
math reasoning skills don’t really decline,” says Dr.

Amy Moore, a cognitive psychologist at LearningRx,
a brain training center with locations in Northern
Virginia. “It’s math computation skills like adding
and subtracting that decline because kids aren’t
practicing them daily. But after two weeks of being
back in school in the fall, their efficiency returns.”
Moore agree that lower-income students typically
don’t learn as much as higher-income ones during
the summer. That’s because they don’t usually have
the same access to enrichment programs and cultural
opportunities, she explains. “So, it’s really the income
achievement gap that you see during the school year
that’s widening over the summer,” says Moore.

How about this summer, after the pandemic
forced most students to attend school virtually for
at least part of the school year? Will the summer
slide be worse?
“Researchers predict that learning loss during
the 2020-2021 school year could be substantial, with
students projected to lose five to nine months of
learning on average,” says Dr. Matthew Lynch, an
education consultant and former dean of Virginia
Union University’s School of Education, Psychology
& Interdisciplinary Studies. “If you couple this with
summer learning loss, the situation becomes even
more dire,” he says.

Moore says this pandemic-related learning
deficit will be worse for students that didn’t have
good access to technology for online instruction —
meaning the achievement gap between lower- and
higher-income students may widen even more. But,
she continues, even those students that successfully
attended virtual school have likely experienced a bit
of learning loss.

“This was a scary and stressful time for kids,”
Moore says. “If children are anxious, they can’t learn
effectively.” To help students catch up, many schools across
the country are offering more robust summer school
programs than usual. There are also a multitude of
online programs to help children brush up on math
and language arts skills, from virtual classes through
companies like Khan Academy and Outschool to
websites such as Prodigy Math and Imagine Learning
& Literacy. And summer camps offering everything
from coding to art to robotics are opening up again.

But after such a challenging school year, many kids
— and parents — just need a break.

“We’re all mentally drained, so we’re going to
take it easy,” says Rakelle Mullenix, a mom from
Annandale, Virginia. “We will play board games, tend
to our garden and connect with friends and family
out in nature.”
But that doesn’t mean her kids, ages 7 and 9,
won’t be learning. Many of the fun summer activities
families do together teach kids a variety of facts
and skills. Looking for ideas? Here are some ways
to keep your own children engaged in learning all
summer long.

READ, READ, READ
EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS
Experts recommend that children read at least
20 minutes per day. To motivate your kids to get
those minutes in, sign them up for a rewards-based
summer reading program through Barnes & Noble,
Pizza Hut or your local library. Help them start a
summer book club with friends. Listen to audiobooks
on road trips. And spend some time each day reading
aloud to them.

“There’s so much to learn around us,” says Kelly
McCollum, a former middle-school science teacher
and co-founder of Yellow Scope, which creates
science kits for girls. “The key is to use the power of
observation. The more senses you use, the better you
learn,” says McCollum.

At the beach, teach your kids about the tides. At
campgrounds and national and state parks, seek
out naturalists to help identify native animals and
plants. Research the chemistry behind fireworks
COOK OR BAKE TOGETHER
Following a recipe will require your kids to use math on the 4th of July, and point out interesting rock
formations, flowers and animals on walks around
and reading skills and to follow directions.

your neighborhood.

MARCO VDM / E+
TACKLE PUZZLES AND GAMES
“Jigsaw puzzles and board games promote the GO ON A FIELD TRIP
development of logic and reasoning skills while From zoos and farms to museums and historical
also encouraging social connections,” says Moore. landmarks, there are plenty of opportunities for
Some of the Mullenix family’s favorites are chess, educational excursions.

backgammon and Pay Day.

WashingtonFAMILY.com 17