Welcome to The DPS Summer Reading Program
Durham Public Schools and the Durham County Public Library have a simple message for students in this community: READ! It is especially important for students to read over the summer months when they are not reading textbooks and other work for school. Reading just four books over the summer can prevent what is called the “summer slide,” where students lose educational ground because they may not be as stimulated as they are during the school year.
According to the children’s literacy organization Reading is Fundamental (RIF), experts have found that “children who read during the summer gain reading skills, while those who do not often slide backward.”
According to the authors of a November 2002 report from Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning: “A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills.”
The Statistics Are In:
- Students can lose up to 25 percent of their reading level over the summer.
- Students can lose up to three months of their education over the summer.
- This loss is cumulative – so by the time a student enters high school or middle school, he or she could be years behind grade-level standards.
This can be prevented – by reading! Reading just four books over the summer can prevent the summer slide, and can actually increase a student’s reading level.
DPS wants to encourage each student to read at least four books this summer. But, we don’t see students every day in June, July and August. Parents do!
Join with DPS and encourage your children to read. The statistics show that it matters.