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SUMMER SCHOOL HELPS ALL STUDENTS WHEN FALL ROLLS AROUND
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- As students prepare to put their books away for the summer and head for the swimming pool, a University of Missouri-Columbia scientist is preparing to present research next week showing that might not be such a good idea.
Students of all abilities and grade levels can benefit from summer school programs, according to a study recently completed by Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology at MU.
"Summer school programs were shown to have positive effects for all students," Cooper said. "Students completing the programs were found to score higher and be better prepared in both math and reading when the fall rolled around."
Cooper, whose meta-analysis study will be presented to colleagues at the U.S. Department of Education on June 2, said results of the research, which analyzed 53 evaluations of summer school programs, revealed that the programs have a more significant effect on math scores than on reading.
He also found that students from middle-class socio-economic backgrounds benefit more than lower-class students, although disadvantaged students showed gains as well. Cooper stressed the need for additional local, state and federal funding in summer school programs, and noted that policy-makers should make it easy for families to enroll their children in the programs.
"Math-related skills are used less during the summer in everyday activities, so summer school programs can help fill that gap," Cooper said.
Cooper notes, though, that simply because the summer programs enhance math skills more than reading, there is not evidence enough to stop summer reading education. In fact, the analysis states that illiteracy is a strong predictor of negative social behavior in both children and adults. Decisions regarding summer school programs should be targeted to specific populations of students that need to improve either reading or math skills, Cooper said.
Other analyses revealed that students from middle-class backgrounds benefitted more in summer school programs than did students from disadvantaged backgrounds. "Some researchers have speculated that the learning deficits that disadvantaged students bring to summer school simply may be more difficult to remedy," Cooper said.
Cooper's study stresses the need for additional funding from local, state and federal sources and suggests that a significant portion of those funds be spent on instruction in basic skills. Funds also should be set aside to encourage and foster participation in summer programs, especially among disadvantaged students.
"Math and reading are two very basic subjects that students can make substantial improvements in over the course of a summer school program," Cooper said. "If we are able to increase participation in these summer programs, a great many students would benefit for their entire educational career."
Cooper was assisted by Kelly Charlton and Jeff Valentine, graduate students in the MU Department of Psychology.
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