Afterschool Outcomes

Children's Health

College Prep in Afterschool

Communities Empowering Youth

Leadership

Social Servies and
Mental Health

Summer Learning

Past Projects

Summer Learning Initiative

The summer months hold great potential for providing low-income youth with enriching educational opportunities, but in fact these youth often return to school further behind and less prepared than their more affluent peers. Research suggests that children - especially low-income children-lose ground academically during the summer months. While they learn at the same rate as middle-income students during the school year, over time, the cumulative effect of the summer learning loss or "slide" is a contributor to the disparity in academic achievement between different income groups.

Since 2001, PASE has worked with nearly 180 summer programs to capacity-build and strengthen their academic and literacy-building components, helping an estimated 15,000 young people bridge the summer learning gap. Our Summer Learning Initiative has given youth-serving organizations the help they need to provide underserved young people with activities during the summer months that support them academically, promote literacy, build interest in learning, and teach essential skills such as critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and creativity. Currently, our summer learning work is supported by MetLife Foundation.

Summer Learning Guide: Enhancing Educational Opportunities and Learning Experiences in Summer Program - This PASE publication includes an overview of summer learning loss and practical suggestions for programs on how to close the "gap," as well as profiles of programs in New York City.

The Case Against Summer Vacation - Time Magazine's August 2, 2010 cover story on opportunities to address summer learning loss.

PASE will be presenting at the National Summer Learning Association Conference in San Francisco, CA on November 14 & 15, 2011.