Why Summer Reading Is Critical to Academic Success and Beyond
Summer reading isn’t just a way to pass the time during the long, lazy days; it’s a cornerstone of academic success and is pivotal in mitigating the educational backslide often experienced during the summer months, known as the “summer slide”. Engaging with books over the summer enhances comprehension skills, fosters a love for learning and helps develop critical thinking and empathy.
Research underscores the impact of the summer slide, with students potentially losing up to three months of reading progress. According to this article from Brookings, summer reading programs have been found to significantly raise reading test scores, especially when they blend academic learning with recreational activities, suggesting a more comprehensive approach to literacy development. Programs focusing on reading comprehension and fluency, showed the most substantial positive impacts, equivalent to boosting students from the 50th to the 65th percentile.
Engaging in summer reading also cultivates a broader vocabulary, crucial for academic success and personal growth. A daily reading routine exposes students to a significantly larger array of words, with a child reading twenty minutes a day at home encountering an average of 1.8 million words per year. Developing vocabulary is directly linked to literacy levels and the ability to comprehend complex texts.
Learn more about Raising a Reader’s Super Summer Learning Adventures Program: https://raisingareader.org/super-summer-learning-adventures/