The Summer Playbook for PTA and School Leaders

PTAs and schools are key to linking parents to vital summer learning opportunities that can help children have fun and meaningful learning experiences that prepare them for the next grade. Many students, especially those from underserved communities, lose up to two to three months of grade-level equivalency in math, reading, and other academic skills over the summer months. This phenomenon is known as the summer slide. During the school year, our children receive vital resources, including age-appropriate learning materials, supportive teachers, healthy meals, and structured physical activity. Young people need all these resources to explore, grow, develop, and learn, even when the bell rings for the last time at the end of the school year.

The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), Learning Heroes (LH), and National PTA (PTA) envision a world where every child thrives during the summer. That is why these three national organizations have partnered, for the first time, around this critical issue for students. Through NSLA’s knowledge base and resources, National PTA’s reach and influence, and LH’s research and communications, we can help make this vision a reality. With this Playbook, PTAs, along with teachers and principals, will have a robust and research-based toolkit to keep youth safe, healthy, and engaged in learning during the critical summer months.

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