Strategies to sidestep the ‘summer slide’

Between the end of one school year and the start of the next, students risk summer learning loss, which often is better known as the “summer slide.”

Up to 25 percent of a student’s school-year learning can be lost over the summer without engaging learning activities. (Source: Cooper, H., Broman, G., & Fairchild, R. (2010). “School Calendars and Academic Achievement”)

So what can you do to prevent the summer slide? At the top of the list is reading:

• According to research, reading just six books during the summer can prevent a struggling reader from regressing.
• Children should be encouraged to read a variety of materials throughout the day such as schedules, magazines, recipes, and newspapers.
• Make reading fun by playing games, taking books on picnics, or introducing audio books.
• The libraries throughout the community offer summer reading programs that help children set realistic goals for summer reading and offer a reward for accomplishing the goals.

Parents from around the Clark County School District have gathered more ideas to continue learning over the summer by participating in the workshop, No More Summer Slide. CCSD offers this workshop offered through its Family and Community Engagement Services’ University of Family Learning.

Working together in the No More Summer Slide workshop, parents generate ideas from A to Z to keep their children engaged in fun and inexpensive learning activities. Fortunately, Southern Nevada offers a wide variety of activities and resources that aim to entertain and educate.

For more information about the Summer A-Z Challenge and other summer resources, please go to faces.ccsd.net/family-toolbox/whats-cool-for-summer/. Be sure to use #CCSDSummer to share your ideas on social media.

Please share these strategies about combating the summer slide with friends, families and co-workers. For more information about FACES, contact us at (702) 799-0303 or visit us at faces.ccsd.net.