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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Schools Matter: Jay Mathews wants more summer school: I suggest libraries

Schools Matter: Jay Mathews wants more summer school: I suggest libraries

Jay Mathews wants more summer school: I suggest libraries

Summer school or an increased investment in public libraries?
Sent to the Washington Post, June 28, 2010.

Jay Mathews notes that that academic achievement declines for low-income students over the summer and concludes that "Summer school is a great tool, if only more students would use it" (June 28). The decline in reading achievement over the summer, however, is actually an argument for increased funding for public libraries, not summer school.

Some of the research reports on the summer slump, including Barbara Heyns' original study of summer learning