How can summer learning programs improve student outcomes?

Challenge

States and school districts received resources to address urgent learning needs of students. With funding to support learning acceleration efforts, and a push to provide summer learning and enrichment programming for children across the nation, summer 2021 took on a new significance and sense of urgency for America’s children.

Solution

Westat’s National Summer Learning & Enrichment Study, conducted for the Wallace Foundation, is leading the effort to understand how states and districts responded with a multimethod study capturing lessons about summer 2021 and intentions for summer 2022.

Results

The study results will add nationally representative findings and important descriptive additions to the evidence base on summer learning and enrichment. These baseline data will help suggest directions for future research and capacity building for summer learning and enrichment, and learning recovery more broadly, to enable student success.