Summer Reading: Closing the Rich/Poor Reading Achievement Gap

Language and Literacy

by Richard L. Allington (Editor), Anne McGill-Franzen (Revision)

Summer reading loss accounts for roughly 80% of the rich/poor reading achievement gap. Yet far too little attention is given to this pressing problem. This timely volume now offers not only a comprehensive review of what is known about summer reading loss but also provides reliable interventions and guidance. Written by acknowledged experts and researchers on reading, remedial reading, and special education, this collection describes multiple models of innovative summer reading and book distribution initiatives. It also provides research-based guidelines for planning a successful summer reading program, including tips on book selection, distribution methods, and direction for crucial follow-up. Most important, the authors clearly show how schools and communities can see greater academic gains for students from low-income families using the methods described in this book than from much more costly interventions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Professional Development, Teaching

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Donalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book last spring and never put it into goodreads. I am an Allington acolyte. In spite of his controversial, outspoken manner I find that his heart is always with kids and what we can do to help them learn to read and become successful.

This book is full of research about summer learning loss and what children need from schools and libraries in order to increase reading achievement. A lot of the book is dedicated to Allington's summer reading program which provided free books to students in low-performing schools.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allington is one of my author Rock Stars! Perhaps the reason why is outspoken manner can be so irritating to people, is that often, he is right! And, he puts his money where is mouth is, by supporting his beliefs with research.

I am beginning work on my doctorate degree in several months. I also work in a district with a high number of students eligible for free and reduced lunch (as well as a high ELL population and a large number of struggling readers). I am interested in doing my doctoral research on this subject, so I love this book and the ideas it provided me with.

The information in this book is also especially interesting to me, because our school district began using an Allington based reading program (produced by American Reading Company). Since we began using the program three years ago, we have seen tremendous growth in our reading achievement, but I also know first hand some of the management issues teachers deal with to ensure its integrity. So, my mind is buzzing with Allington.

[Sarah]

I started this one a couple summer's ago and just came back to it. I read it cover to cover this time. The many studies that are referenced throughout the entire book point to the same conclusion; in order to close the rich/poor summer achievement gap, students must get books into their hands. Allington discusses several different approaches and their successes. The best way to keep kids moving is summer is to provide them with books they want to read. if a certified teacher can provide additional support it is beneficial, but expensive. We can close gaps for about $50 a kid if we just provide books.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really illuminating and also encouraging that we are headed in the right direction with our reading program. It just makes me wish we had more resources to do more outreach during the summer to get more kids directly involved instead of waiting for them to come to us!

[Angel · Rating 1 out of 5]

If kids read during the summer, they will not experience as much, if any, summer reading loss.
Kids need to choose books they can read independently.
To read those two sentences in lofty academic language, read the book. Otherwise, that is all you need to know.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Close the poverty gap with 12 books a year.

No, seriously, that's it. You can stop spending ask that money on test prep now.

Packed with research, short enough to be easily digestible, and entirely practical, this is must-read for professional development.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few great ideas and a valuable resource for some. It just didn't fit me that well for the demographic of students I have. Not the fault of the book.

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things I want to remember...

p13 - "Volume of reading is important in the development of reading proficiency" and "children must have easy access - literally fingertip access - to books that provide engaging, successful reading experiences throughout the calendar year if we want them to read in volume"

p14 "Too many current educational reform initiatives ignore ease of access to books, reading volume, and summer reading loss... schools that serve many poor children must play a substantive role in ensuring that each and every child has year-round access to a generous supply of books to read in school and out, books the children cannot wait to read."

p34 - "Providing books and magazines to children - either by lending the materials to them or by giving them the materials to keep - improves their attitudes toward reading, the amount of reading they do, their acquisition of basic literacy skills, and their reading performance. Impacts for children's motivation to read, basic language skills, and writing achievement all point in the positive direction as well. However, we cannot say with certainty that interventions that increase children's access to print material improve that subset of outcomes. Although the evidence suggests positive impacts for just giving books/print material to children, impacts are even larger when provision of reading material accompanies supplemental literacy instruction and direction to caregivers."

p36 - "Book lending and distribution programs enacted during the summer months and targeted to children living in lower-income families may prevent the widening of gaps in reading achievement"

p41 - "Providing poor children with self-selected books for summer reading did improve the reading achievement of the children... the amount of reading growth we observed in the children we gave free books to proved at least as large as the growth others have found in sending poor children to summer school"

p42/43 - Popular series (as indicated by sales figures) and popular culture (characters and topics current in the broader popular media - TV, movies, athletes, musicians, etc.) were self-selected over culturally relevant (minority authors and characters) and curriculum relevant books.

p49 - "reading four or five books over the summer was sufficient to stem summer reading loss with these 6th graders." "He found a marginally significant effect for providing books for summer reading overall. He found that Black and Hispanic students gained more from participation than did White or Asian students. The largest effects were found for students who scored below the median on the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) presest and the children who reported owning the fewest books. There were no reported positive effects for White students, students owning more than 50 children's books, or for children with above-average scores on the ITBS."

p64-67 - Implications of participants' most selected books
1. Gain insight into "kids' culture" - media and mass marketing interests may provide motivation for kids to read independently
2. Provide access to books reflective of "kids culture"
3. Allow time for students to build reading communities - which allow kids to further interest in books and talk about the subject
4. Broaden students' familiarity with books - read aloud, book talks, youtube, book of the month, talk to students and learn about their interests to help guide them

p81 "Although access to appropriate books is likely to stem summer reading loss for high-poverty primary-age students, access alone may not be sufficient to substantially improve outcomes in reading over the summer for students facing the double jeopardy of both low achievement histories and poverty."

p105 - teaching self-selection of books
1. Read the back cover
2. Open to almost any page, read to yourself. If it's too hard, pick another.
3. Teachers should model this process

[Dick Allington]

Just a quick note to tell everyone that there is now a second edition of our book on summer reading. New chapters have been added and original chapters updated and modified as needed. Summer reading loss is real and it explains almost all of the reading achievement gap (children from low income families are 4 years behind at high school graduation). That is the bad news. The good news is that two large scale randomized control group studies arrived at identical conclusions: Poor children lose reading achievement every summer vacation. They lose ground because their access to books they can read is more difficult in the summers than during the school year when the school library is open and books are available. A 3 month loss of reading achievement each year, K-12, produces that 4 year reading achievement gap! Consider that we allowed poor children to self-select 10 books for their summer reading, no book reports, no worksheets, etc. We simply asked the children to read the books they had selected. Our studies showed that improving poor children's access to books eliminated summer reading loss. Our findings suggest that implementing a summer book distribution program could result in rich and poor reading comparably and no reading would exist.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Studies that demonstrate that summer reading is a most effective way to increase reading achievement.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great research to support what many teachers know...readers will read better if it is done voluntarily and often. This had nice case studies and examples of how to implement a summer reading program but was very much what I have heard Allington speak and write about in prior articles. Overall good read with good ideas for implementation but nothing drastically new here.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I really wanted some practical ideas about creating s summer reading program from this book, so it did not meet my needs. While the authors provide plenty of good research for the importance of summer reading, they are "preaching to the choir" in this case. A good research tool for anyone looking for statistics to support measures to close the achievement gap.

[Shipley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love everything Allington writes, but there wasn't much new here -- almost all of this information was captured in various shorter articles he's read, available via a quick google search. I wouldn't recommend paying for this one.

[Elaine Bearden]

This looks really interesting. Apparently, getting books into the hands of low-income children in the summer - 12-15 for example, is a significant way to impact their learning during the summer. Noted in SLJ in an article.

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a whole lot of new information for me, though the research supports optimizing the independent reading part of our curriculum. It would have been nice if they had included a section on how to establish good reading habits throughout the school year to carry over into summer reading.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read and provides great information on the importance of summer learning. If you are a summer professional, this is worth picking up. I saw Allington speak at a conference when I was first starting out in education. He was inspiring and his book is worth reading.

[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent insights on the importance of getting reading materials into the hands of all students, especially over the summer months. Made me want to send my entire classroom library home with kids.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for content, three for execution.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The research is important reading.

[Elizabeth Gray]

Library Summer Reading research