When Students Fail to Read During Summer Months, They Fall Behind When Back in School

When it comes to picking up a book, sisters Alaysah, Aaliyah and Anisa Allison are all in. Each one has been reading every chance they get all summer long.

As much as they love it, the girls admit it’s hard to stay devoted to picking up a book.

When students fail to read during summer months, it can greatly impact their learning when they return to school in the fall. It’s called “summer slide.”

“It can be up to two years that the child will slide back,” said Carolyne Creel, a retired teacher who taught middle and high school students for more than 40 years. She says every year, students come back from summer break behind in their skills

“You would spend six weeks at the beginning of school reviewing skills they should have mastered the year before,” Creel said.

Educators say the solution to it is fairly simple: Make sure students are reading, and the slide seems to stop.

The Allison sisters stay buried in books, and their mother, Adena, says they’ve soared during the summer — unlike their older siblings

What the students are reading doesn’t matter, experts say. Even comic books are good — every bit of thinking helps.

That’s why NBC 5 is doing its part to help. Our reading program, Reading With You, encourages students to read books during the summer. NBC 5’s Laura Harris and Wayne Carter will visit libraries, summer camps and reading programs around the area, read with students and hand out free books to make sure students have books available.

You can find all the information on NBCDFW.com/reading.