Additional SummerReads Resources

What Teachers and Parents Can Do to Stop the Summer Reading Slide

Students from high and low socioeconomic homes have been found to make similar gains on reading during the school year (Alexander, Entwistle, & Olson, 2004). It’s what happens in the summer that contributes to a growing gap in low- and high-income students’ reading. During the summer, low-income children either fall or stagnate during the summer, while higher-income children continue to progress or maintain their reading levels. By fourth-grade, the accumulated differences over several summers are reflected in a significant gap between low- and high-income students.

Can Silent Reading in the Summer Reduce Socioeconomic Differences in Reading Achievement?

22 June 2010

The question we ask is whether socioeconomic differences in reading achievement can be reduced by programs that encourage silent reading in the summer months.

White, T.G., & Kim, J.S., (2010). Can Silent Reading in the Summer Reduce Socioeconomic Differences in Reading Achievement? In E.H. Hiebert & D. Ray Reutzel (Eds.), Revisiting Silent Reading: New Directions for Teachers and Researchers. Newark, DE. IRA.