Study: Some Students Lose Nearly All Academic Gains During Summer

Research Minutes podcast

A new study into summer learning loss details the academic costs - and the cumulative impacts - of time spent away from school. The study, led by the University of Colorado Boulder's Allison Atteberry and the RAND Corporation's Andrew McEachin, found that more than half of students experienced learning loss every summer from first through sixth grade. While some students actually made gains over the summer, the study found that others lost nearly 90 percent of their academic progress over the same period. Atteberry joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss her team's findings, and some important implications for districts and schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.