Students losing one month of skills learned in school is a big deal. Poorer students lose much more than the more wealthy students. The New York Times said: "According to a report released last month by the RAND Corporation, the average summer learning loss in math and reading for American students amounts to one month per year. More troubling is that it disproportionately affects low-income students: they lose two months of reading skills, while their higher-income peers.... make slight gains." (Smink) Losing so much during the summer by impoverished students is evident because they do not have the means to learn during the summer. The wealthier families can afford to surround their families with books and other materials during the break. Also many students go to educational camps which the less privileged families cannot afford. There have been different ideas of how to combat this problem. New York City has made mandatory summer school for their students: "In New York, around 34,000 third through eighth graders are required to take summer school classes this year in order to be promoted to the next grade. The classes typically last only half the day, leaving many on their own for the afternoon." (Smink) This is a decent solution for kids who have to go home to a harsh situation or are struggling grade wise. Unfortunately this solution takes some freedom away from the students in a time where they should be learning how to live with freedom. Learning and development are hurt in the impoverished community during summer vacation.
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