Not Your Typical Summer Break: Limiting the Summer Slide for Urban Elementary Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 39
  In Roundtable Session: The Effect of Social Support for Academic Achievement in Urban Education

Abstract

Educational opportunities for children who live in poverty are minimal during the summer months. Over 30 years of research supports the assertion that academic inactivity during the summer break from school diminishes the academic progress of low-income students and contributes to the achievement gap that exists between these students and their more affluent counterparts. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of a summer enrichment program on limiting the summer slide of elementary urban students in grades three through five. Academic gains were found in reading, math, and science as indicated by pretests and posttest scores.

Authors

• Joel P. Lewis, University of South Alabama

• Andre M. Green, University of South Alabama

• Andrea M. Kent, University of South Alabama

• Phillip Feldman, University of South Alabama

• Paige V. Baggett, University of South Alabama

• Monica Renee Motley, University of South Alabama

• Edward L. Shaw, Jr., University of South Alabama