The Effects of Voluntary Summer Programs on K–12 Students' Reading and Mathematics Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Evaluation of Academic Outcomes From School-Based Interventions

Abstract

There has long been interest in using summertime to provide supplemental education to students. But are summer programs effective? This review includes 19 randomized studies on the effects of summer intervention programs on reading and mathematics, based on rigorous quality criteria. The mean effect of summer school programs on reading achievement were positive (ES=+0.23), but there were no positive effects, on average, of summer book reading programs (ES=0.00). In mathematics, positive mean effects were also found for summer programs (ES=+0.17). However, the positive-appearing means for summer schools were not statistically significant in a meta-regression, and depended on just two reading and one math study with very large impacts. These successful interventions focused on well-defined objectives with intensive teaching.

Authors

• Chen Xie, East China Normal University

• Amanda Neitzel, Johns Hopkins University

• Alan Cheung, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Robert Slavin, Johns Hopkins University