Journal Article

Lasting Consequences of the Summer Learning Gap

Olson, Linda Steffel, Entwisle, Doris R., Alexander, Karl L.

2007

Overview

Prior research has demonstrated that summer learning rooted in family and community influences widens the achievement gap across social lines, while schooling offsets those family and community influences. In this article, we examine the long-term educational consequences of summer learning differences by family socioeconomic level. Using data from the Baltimore Beginning School Study youth panel, we decompose achievement scores at the start of high school into their developmental precursors, back to the time of school entry in 1st grade. We find that cumulative achievement gains over the first nine years of children's schooling mainly reflect school-year learning, whereas the high SES-low SES achievement gap at 9th grade mainly traces to differential summer learning over the elementary years. These early out-of-school summer learning differences, in turn, substantially account for achievement-related differences by family SES in high school track placements (college preparatory or not), high school noncompletion, and four-year college attendance. We discuss implications for understanding the bases of educational stratification, as well as educational policy and practice.

• Publisher: American Sociological Association,SAGE Publications
• Subject: Academic Achievement / Academic learning / Achievement / Achievement Gains / Achievement Gap / Achievement tests / Children / Children & youth / Cognitive development / College Attendance / Community / Context Effect / Data analysis / Dropouts / Education policy / Educational Policy / Educational sociology / Elementary Education / Elementary schools / Families & family life / Family Environment / Family relations / Family school relationship / Grade 1 / Grade 10 / Grade 9 / High School Students / High Schools / High socioeconomic status / Home Environment / Inequalities / Learning / Longitudinal Studies / Low socioeconomic status / Maryland / Middle schools / Panel data / Precursors / Public schools / Reading Comprehension / Scholarships & fellowships / School dropouts / School systems / Secondary education / Secondary schools / Social influence / Social research / Socioeconomic factors / Socioeconomic Status / Sociology / Sociology of education. Educational systems. Lifelong education / Stratification / Students / Summer / Summer Programs / Summer school / Summer schools / Testing / Track System (Education) / U.S.A / Young adults