25 years...a milestone worthy of reflection and celebration thanks to a legion of partners who have joined the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) in a national movement to keep kids learning, safe, and healthy every summer.

Here at NSLA, we envision a world where all children, regardless of family income, are nurtured, supported, and encouraged to be their best--even after the school doors close for the summer. Our expectations are high and our focus has been steady for more than two decades. And we won't stop, can't stop until every student gets the summer he or she deserves.

Join the National Summer Learning Association during a very special 25th anniversary season; share the amazing summer stories in your community; and tune in as we release our 25th anniversary logo on  Facebook Live this Thursday, January 25, at 11am EST !

Like us on Facebook

New Vision for Summer School Spotlight
A Message from BELL

BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life)  is a national nonprofit that exists to transform the academic achievements, self- confidence, and life trajectories of children living in under-resourced communities. We partner with schools and community-based organizations to transform their summer and afterschool programs into evidence-based interventions for their highest need students.

BELL's partners are taking a holistic approach to summer and after school. Rigorous math and literacy instruction is critical to achieving impact, as is fostering a culture of success and high expectations. Our partners' interventions balance academics with positive behavior management, social emotional skill building, and hands-on enrichment to deliver measurable results. Year after year, data show that participating BELL students, known as scholars, gain  2 to 3 months of literacy and math skills .

BELL partners are also seeing results that go beyond the summer. Data show that participating students build self-confidence and a growth mindset that continue into their school year classrooms. Their summer interventions are also empowering participating educators. Through powerful, job-embedded professional development, teachers test effective instructional practices that data shows they adopt during the school year to impact even more students.

In communities like Montgomery County, Maryland, school districts are not only making key investments in evidence-based summer learning for high-need students, they are also holding themselves and BELL accountable for delivering results.  Montgomery County Public Schools conducted their own evaluation  of their BELL-powered summer learning initiative, which revealed statistically significant academic results for participating 3rdand 4th graders.

Montgomery County and more than 90 other communities nationwide are using BELL tools, services, and expertise to deliver evidence-based interventions for over 15,000 scholars nationwide. For more information, visit  www.experiencebell.org .

BELL is a national partner of the New Vision for Summer School Network. Learn more.


New Research in Brief


NSLA recently publishedInvestment in Staff Yields Summer Success for Studentsa research brief featuring a conversation with researcher Jessica Manta-Meyer from Public Profit.

Delivering a high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) summer program can seem daunting, especially when front-line staff may have limited STEM experience.

In this study, researchers focused on the impact of providing staff with hands-on curriculum, professional development, coaching, and quality assessment, in order to better engage youth in summer and STEM learning.

In this publication, you'll learn how investing in a well-trained staff translates to student outcomes.


Summer Jobs
and Crime

How can summer jobs reduce crime among youth?

This study by  Alicia Sasser Modestino at  The Brookings Institution used a randomized control trial to examine whether the Boston summer youth employment program reduced crime, and explored whether short-term behavioral and attitudinal changes related to participation in the program are linked to crime reduction.


Follow NSLA

Like us on Facebook     Follow us on Twitter     View our profile on LinkedIn