Effective summer programs research brief for district leaders¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 2 studies (1 causal, 1 review), q1–q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A research brief from NWEA Research, dated June 2024, that reviews research on summer programs and distills practical guidance. Per its description, the report "dives into the research on summer programs, their implementation and design, as well as the efficacy of those programs" for literacy, math, and SEL outcomes, and provides recommendations framed for district leaders planning summer programming.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Intended audience is district leaders responsible for summer programming decisions.

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students in district summer programs

Target Learning Goals¶

• Literacy
• Math
• Social-emotional learning

Claims¶

• Research on summer programs addresses their implementation, design, and efficacy for literacy, math, and social-emotional learning outcomes [+W]
• The brief evaluates how summer program design and implementation aligned with recommended best practices [+W]
• Post-pandemic summer school is studied for its effects on student achievement and district academic recovery [+W]
• The brief compares the scale and impact of summer school with other interventions such as tutoring [+W]

Related Elements¶

Examples¶

• District leaders use a recommendations framework to plan and implement effective summer programming

Key Sources¶

• Davison, M., Isaacs, J., Gaddis, M., Postell, S., Hashim, A. K., Kowalski, S., & Lewis, K. (2024). Effective summer programs: Practical guidance for district leaders. NWEA Research. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/effective-summer-programs-practical-guidance-for-district-leaders/