Study: Summer Reading Helps Students

Students participating in a summer reading program are more likely to read at their grade level or above than their nonparticipating peers, and those reading above grade level are more likely to retain those skills into the next school year, says a follow-up study by the the Evaluation and Training Institute, a research firm. The survey, which looks at 2001 summer reading programs run by five Southern California public libraries, also confirms last year's findings: participating K–3 students read more books over the summer, and their parents spent more time reading with their children. (See "Taking the Show on the Road ," for a look at how libraries are using outreach techniques to make their summer reading programs more effective.)

Teachers interviewed for the study said about 33 percent of summer reading participants were more likely to read above grade level, compared to about 18 percent of nonparticipants. The teachers, who reported on more than 900 participating and nonparticipating students, say the long-term effects of the program are evident: in surveying second graders, 31 percent of participating students read above grade level, compared to 29 percent of nonparticipating peers. When those students entered the third grade, however, the same percentage of participating students continued to read above grade level, but the number of nonparticipating students reading above grade level dropped to 24 percent.

Penny Markey, youth services coordinator for the County of Los Angeles Public Library, who oversaw the grant project, says public libraries need hard data to demonstrate that summer reading programs make a significant difference in children's reading abilities. Funded by a $350,000 grant from the Los Angeles Times Mirror Foundation, the study looked at the 2000 and 2001 summer reading programs in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. To request a copy of the study results, e-mail Markey at pennym@colapl.org.