Summer’s always been a great time to kick back with a book. But a strong body of research shows that, without practice, students lose reading skills over the summer months...

Regardless of race, socioeconomic level, or previous achievement, researcher Jimmy S. Kim found, children who read more books fared better on reading-comprehension tests in the fall than their peers who had read one or no books over the summer.

By Debra Viadero

From Education Week, May 5, 2004

Research consistently shows that struggling readers lose ground over the summer. Of even greater concern is the fact that these losses are cumulative, creating a wider gap each year between more proficient and less proficient students. … by the time a struggling reader reaches middle school, summer reading loss has accumulated to a two–year lag in reading achievement.

By Linda B. Gambrell

Kids who read over the summer are likely to learn more this fall. Research shows that children who read five or more books during summer vacation gained more in reading achievement than classmates who took a break from books.

by Jimmy Kim, The Center for Evaluation, American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR)

April 2004, Vol. 9, No. 2, Pages 169-188

A copy of this study is available at the information desks at both the Main Library and Westacres Branch.