The Impact of Summer Programs on Student Mathematics Achievement: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

We present results from a meta-analysis of 37 contemporary experimental and quasi-experimental studies of summer programs in mathematics for children in grades pre-K–12, examining what resources and characteristics predict stronger student achievement. Children who participated in summer programs that included mathematics activities experienced significantly better mathematics achievement outcomes compared to their control group counterparts. We find an average weighted impact estimate of +0.10 standard deviations on mathematics achievement outcomes. We find similar effects for programs conducted in higher- and lower-poverty settings. We undertook a secondary analysis exploring the effect of summer programs on noncognitive outcomes and found positive mean impacts. The results indicate that summer programs are a promising tool to strengthen children’s mathematical proficiency outside of school time.

Effects of summer numeracy interventions among French-language students in Ontario.

“…Our models estimated program effects that are considerably stronger than others reported in the summer learning literature, all of which examined English-language programs in predominately English-speaking contexts (e.g., Cooper et al, 2000; Davies & McKerrow, 2022; Lauer et al, 2006; Lynch et al, 2022; McCombs et al, 2020). Several factors might have generated the large effect sizes in our study.…”

“…An older meta-analysis found average effect sizes of .14, with somewhat stronger effects for students in earlier grades and from low-SES origins (Cooper et al, 2000). Some studies of English-language summer numeracy programs found effect sizes of 0.09 (Lynch et al, 2022), 0.14 (McCombs et al, 2020), and 0.19 (Davies & McKerrow, 2022). 2 A more recent meta-analysis found effect sizes of 0.17 for math (Lauer et al, 2006).…”

A Blueprint for Scaling Tutoring and Mentoring Across Public Schools

“…The average effect of tutoring programs on student achievement is larger than the effects found in approximately 85% of causal studies evaluating education interventions (Kraft, 2020). This effect on student achievement (~0.36σ) is also meaningfully larger than popular alternatives districts are considering in response to the COVID-19 pandemic such as class size reduction (~0.13–0.20σ; Angrist & Lavy, 1999; Krueger, 1999), extending the school day/year (~0.05σ; Figlio et al, 2018), vacation academies (~0.06–0.16σ; Schueler, 2020; Schueler et al, 2017) and summer school (~0.08σ−0.09σ; Augustine et al, 2016; Lynch et al, 2021). Tutoring is also unique among other interventions studied in its sustained effectiveness for both reading and math through high school (Fryer, 2017; Inns et al, 2019; Nickow et al, 2020).…”

PROTOCOL: Impact of summer programmes on the outcomes of disadvantaged or at risk young people: A systematic review

“…Other evidence of the positive impact of summer schools has also been conclusive (see Cooper et al, 2000; Lauer et al, 2006). However, evaluations of other forms of education‐oriented summer programmes have yielded more mixed results (see Barnett et al, 2012; Gonzalez Quiroz & Garza, 2018; Kallison & Stader, 2012; Lynch et al, 2021; Terzian et al, 2009). The inclusion of literature regarding education‐oriented summer programmes offers an opportunity to clarify the currently mixed evidence regarding their impact.…”

“…The inverse relationship between educational outcomes and youth violence has been extensively documented (Bushman et al, 2016). Given the currently mixed evidence regarding the effect of summer educational programmes and summer job programmes on educational outcomes (see Barnett et al, 2012; Kallison & Stader, 2012; Gonzalez Quiroz & Garza, 2018; Lynch et al, 2021; Sablan, 2014; Terzian et al, 2009), including educational summer programmes, this review presents an opportunity to examine their impact—though indirect—on youth violence. Education and employment are themselves linked and interact in deterring the production of antisocial behaviour (Lochner, 2004), a relationship acknowledged by the Outcomes Framework of both YEF and YFF—the expert reference group for the development of YEF's Outcomes Framework acknowledged that engagement in schooling is one of the most important factors in protecting young people from crime and violence.…”