Summer vacation presents an opportunity for students to enjoy an extended break from the classroom. While this respite from routine may be a welcome change to youngsters, teachers frequently lament that valuable educational lessons seem to be forgotten each summer. Educators then face tougher hurdles when students return to school in the fall.

Such a phenomenon is sometimes called “summer learning loss” or “summer slide” but it can occur during any extended break from school. Scholars have realized for some time that students’ rate of academic development declines during summer vacation. Oxford Learning, a tutoring and education training group, offers these eye-opening statistics.

• Over the summer, students tend to lose 2.6 months of math skills and two months of reading skills.

• Summer learning loss can be seen in students as young as six.

• It can take up to two months from the first day of school to get students’

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