Getting to Work on Summer Learning: Recommended Practices for Success

This five-year demonstration project examines whether summer learning programs can reduce summer learning loss and promote achievement gains. This report synthesizes the key lessons learned about how to establish and sustain effective programs. The most emphatic recommendation is to start planning early, no later than January, and include both district and summer site leaders in the process. Many problems identified by the researchers — from weak teacher training to ineffective transportation — could be traced to a rushed planning process.