A Quasi-Experimental Study of the Achievement Impacts of a Replicable Summer Reading Program.
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| Title: | A Quasi-Experimental Study of the Achievement Impacts of a Replicable Summer Reading Program. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Borman, Geoffrey D.1 (AUTHOR) gborman@asu.edu, Yang, Hyunwoo2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Education Sciences. Nov2025, Vol. 15 Issue 11, p1422. 19p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Summer reading programs, *Achievement gains (Education), *Literacy, *Engaged reading, *Field research, *Educational equalization |
| Abstract: | The "summer slide," the well-documented tendency for students to lose academic skills during the extended summer break, remains a persistent challenge for educational equity and achievement. Although traditional summer school programs can mitigate these losses, an emerging body of research suggests that summer book distribution initiatives, which provide students with free, high-quality books to read at home, represent a cost-effective and scalable alternative. This study presents results from a quasi-experimental evaluation of Kids Read Now (KRN), an at-home reading program designed to sustain elementary students' literacy engagement over the summer months. The program's central feature is the delivery of nine free books directly to students, supported by school-based components that foster home–school connections and promote shared reading between parents and children. Across two districts, five schools, four grade levels (1–4), and 110 KRN and 156 comparison students, we used propensity score matching and doubly robust regression analyses, indicating that KRN participants outperformed their non-participating peers, with an average effect size of nearly d = 0.15. Further, two-stage least squares regression analyses revealed that students who benefited from all nine books achieved an effect size of d = 0.21. These impact estimates correspond to approximately two months of additional learning for the average participant and more than three months for full participants. Collectively, the results contribute to a growing evidence base indicating that book distribution programs are an effective and sustainable means of mitigating summer learning loss and promoting continued growth in reading achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Education Sciences is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 189651831 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: A Quasi-Experimental Study of the Achievement Impacts of a Replicable Summer Reading Program. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Borman%2C+Geoffrey+D%2E%22">Borman, Geoffrey D.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> gborman@asu.edu</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yang%2C+Hyunwoo%22">Yang, Hyunwoo</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Education+Sciences%22">Education Sciences</searchLink>. Nov2025, Vol. 15 Issue 11, p1422. 19p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Summer+reading+programs%22">Summer reading programs</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Achievement+gains+%28Education%29%22">Achievement gains (Education)</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Literacy%22">Literacy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Engaged+reading%22">Engaged reading</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Field+research%22">Field research</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+equalization%22">Educational equalization</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The "summer slide," the well-documented tendency for students to lose academic skills during the extended summer break, remains a persistent challenge for educational equity and achievement. Although traditional summer school programs can mitigate these losses, an emerging body of research suggests that summer book distribution initiatives, which provide students with free, high-quality books to read at home, represent a cost-effective and scalable alternative. This study presents results from a quasi-experimental evaluation of Kids Read Now (KRN), an at-home reading program designed to sustain elementary students' literacy engagement over the summer months. The program's central feature is the delivery of nine free books directly to students, supported by school-based components that foster home–school connections and promote shared reading between parents and children. Across two districts, five schools, four grade levels (1–4), and 110 KRN and 156 comparison students, we used propensity score matching and doubly robust regression analyses, indicating that KRN participants outperformed their non-participating peers, with an average effect size of nearly d = 0.15. Further, two-stage least squares regression analyses revealed that students who benefited from all nine books achieved an effect size of d = 0.21. These impact estimates correspond to approximately two months of additional learning for the average participant and more than three months for full participants. Collectively, the results contribute to a growing evidence base indicating that book distribution programs are an effective and sustainable means of mitigating summer learning loss and promoting continued growth in reading achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Education Sciences is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=189651831 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.3390/educsci15111422 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 19 StartPage: 1422 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Summer reading programs Type: general – SubjectFull: Achievement gains (Education) Type: general – SubjectFull: Literacy Type: general – SubjectFull: Engaged reading Type: general – SubjectFull: Field research Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational equalization Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: A Quasi-Experimental Study of the Achievement Impacts of a Replicable Summer Reading Program. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Borman, Geoffrey D. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Yang, Hyunwoo IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 11 Text: Nov2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 22277102 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 15 – Type: issue Value: 11 Titles: – TitleFull: Education Sciences Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
