A new study into summer learning loss details the academic costs – and the cumulative impacts – of time spent away from school.

The study, led by Allison Atteberry (University of Colorado Boulder) and Andrew McEachin (RAND Corporation), found that more than half of students experienced learning loss every summer from first through sixth grade. While some students actually made gains over the summer, the study found that others lost nearly 90 percent of their academic progress over the same period.

Atteberry joins CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss her team’s findings, and some important implications for districts and schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Featured Research: Atteberry, Allison, and Andrew McEachin. “School’s Out: The Role of Summers in Understanding Achievement Disparities.” American Educational Research Journal, (July 2020).