ERIC Number: EJ1475150
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Aug
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0938-8982
EISSN: EISSN-1540-5826
Available Date: 0000-00-00
If You Build It, Will They Come and Will It Matter? The Unrequited Dream of a Summer Reading Program
Deborah K. Reed1; Huibin Zhang1
Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, v40 n3 p124-137 2025
The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a non-randomized summer reading program offered by a school district meeting or exceeding all National Summer Learning Project recommendations. The district had 10 years of experience delivering the program to Grades 1-5 students with or at risk of reading disabilities. Voluntary participation had been declining in the three years prior to the pandemic and declined further during the pandemic. In 2021, 144 eligible students attended at least half the summer program and 1113 students were eligible but did not participate. All students were pre- and post-tested with a measure of overall reading ability. After propensity score weighting, the data from each grade were analyzed using multilevel models. Results revealed no statistically significant differences between the treatment and control groups, nor did special education and free or reduced-price lunch status significantly moderate outcomes. Implications for future summer reading programs are discussed.
Descriptors: Summer Programs, Reading Programs, Elementary School Students, Reading Difficulties, At Risk Students, Reading Skills, Program Effectiveness, Students with Disabilities, Socioeconomic Status, Age Differences
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Measures of Academic Progress
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Tennessee Reading Research Center, CEHHS, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA