This book is an authoritative examination of summer learning loss, featuring original contributions by scholars and practitioners at the forefront of the movement to understand—and stem—the “summer slide.” The contributors provide an up-to-date account of what research has to say about summer learning loss, the conditions in low-income children’s homes and communities that impede learning over the summer months, and best practices in summer programming with lessons on how to strengthen program evaluations. The authors also show how information on program costs can be combined with student outcome data to inform future planning and establish program cost-effectiveness. This book will help policymakers, school administrators, and teachers in their efforts to close academic achievement gaps and improve outcomes for all students. Book Features: Empirical research on summer learning loss and efforts to counteract it. Original contributions by leading authorities. Practical guidance on best practices for implementing and evaluating strong summer programs. Recommendations for using program evaluations more effectively to inform policy. Contributors: Emily Ackman, Allison Atteberry, Catherine Augustine, Janice Aurini, Amy Bohnert, Geoffrey D. Borman, Claudia Buchmann, Judy B. Cheatham, Barbara Condliffe, Dennis J. Condron, Scott Davies, Douglas Downey, Ean Fonseca, Linda Goetze, Kathryn Grant, Amy Heard, Michelle K. Hosp, James S. Kim, Heather Marshall, Jennifer McCombs, Andrew McEachin, Dorothy McLeod, Joseph J. Merry, Emily Milne, Aaron M. Pallas, Sarah Pitcock, Alex Schmidt, Marc L. Stein, Paul von Hippel, Thomas G. White, Doris Terry Williams, Nicole Zarrett “A comprehensive look at what’s known about summer’s impact on learning and achievement. It is a wake-up call to policymakers and educators alike” —Jane Stoddard Williams, Chair, Horizons National “Provides the reader with everything they didn’t know about summer learning loss and also provides information on everything we do know about eliminating summer learning loss. Do your school a favor and read this book and then act upon what you have learned.” —Richard Allington, University of Tennessee

Summer Learning HeadStart(TM) This book is designed to help 7th grade students retain and strengthen their Math and English Language Arts skills during summer months. It helps stop Summer Learning Loss and provides a strong foundation for success in 8th grade. Schools (300+), teachers (3,000+), libraries (30+) and parents (50,000+) throughout the United States use Lumos Study Programs to improve student achievement. This book includes: Daily practice of seventh grade skills Online access to eighth grade topics Jokes & cartoons to make learning fun Review of more than 40 English Language Arts Standards Review of more than 30 Math Standards Engaging reading passages Informative articles for parents and educators Useful infographics PLUS One Year access to Online Workbooks Convenient access to additional practice questions Anywhere Access Learn using a smart phone, tablet or personal computer Personalized and student-directed learning with real-time feedback Hundreds of Common Core aligned practice questions Teachers Get FREE Access to Lumos StepUp Basic Account Create up to 30 students accounts and monitor their online work Share information about class work and school activities through stickies Gain easy access to Blogs, Standards, Student Reports and more.. "

Summer Learning HeadStart(TM) This book is designed to help 5th grade students retain and strengthen their Math and English Language Arts skills during summer months. It helps stop Summer Learning Loss and provides a strong foundation for success in 6th grade. More than 10,000+ Schools, 19,000+ Teachers, and 150,000+ Students use Lumos Learning Study Programs to improve student achievement on the standardized tests and also to master necessary math, language, and reading skills. This book includes: Daily practice of fifth grade skills Online access to sixth grade topics Jokes & cartoons to make learning fun! Review of more than 40 English Language Arts Standards Review of more than 30 Math Standards Engaging reading passages Informative articles for parents and educators Useful infographics PLUS One Year access to Online Workbooks Convenient access to additional practice questions Anywhere Access! Learn using a smart phone, tablet or personal computer Personalized and student-directed learning with real-time feedback Hundreds of Common Core aligned practice questions Teachers Get FREE Access to Lumos StepUp(TM) Basic Account Create up to 30 students accounts and monitor their online work Share information about class work and school activities through stickies Gain easy access to Blogs, Standards, Student Reports and more..

Give your soon-to-be eighth grader a head start on their upcoming school year with Summer Bridge Activities: Bridging Grades 7-8. With daily, 15-minute exercises kids can review proportions and misplaced modifiers and learn new skills like square roots and writing in the active voice. This workbook series prevents summer learning loss and paves the way to a successful new school year. --And this is no average workbookÑSummer Bridge Activities keeps the fun and the sun in summer break! Designed to prevent a summer learning gap and keep kids mentally and physically active, the hands-on exercises can be done anywhere. These standards-based activities help kids set goals, develop character, practice fitness, and explore the outdoors. With 12 weeks of creative learning, Summer Bridge Activities keeps skills sharp all summer long!

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

This booklet provides information about the values and skills that make up character and good citizenship and what you can do to help your child develop strong character. It suggests activities that you and your school-aged children can do to put those values to work in your daily lives and tips for working with teachers and schools to ensure that you act together to promote the basic values that you want your child to learn and use. Finally, this booklet provides an extensive list of books and other resources with character-related themes that you can read and discuss with your child to encourage character and citizen development.

“Summer’s smells, sounds, rhythms, and rituals unspool luxuriantly in this tribute to the season.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) When the days stretch out like a slow yawn, and the night is full of crickets singing . . . then it’s time to get ready for summer! From fireworks and ice-cream trucks, to lemonade stands and late bedtimes, to swimming in the lake and toasting marshmallows, there’s something for everyone in this bright and buoyant celebration of the sunny season. Tom Brenner’s lovely, lyrical ode to summers spent outdoors will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever counted down the days until school gets out, and Jaime Kim’s jubilant, nostalgia-soaked illustrations leave little doubt that summer is indeed a time unlike any other.