A National Vision

In this new strategic plan, the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) presents a national vision for harnessing the power of summer learning to help every child thrive. Over the next 12 years, NSLA will ensure that kids with the greatest need for summer learning engage in high-quality formal and informal activities over the summer. Our strategy lies in building systems at the local, state, and national level.

Why Summers Matter

Decades of research clearly demonstrate summer is the most unequal time in America. Summer learning loss also constitutes a significant, if largely unrecognized, threat to academic achievement. It is primarily during the summer months that millions of children slide backward academically. During the summer months that the achievement gap between rich and poor increases most dramatically. Learn more about why summers matter here.