The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is an organization in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

that claims to aspire "for every child to be safe, healthy, and engaged in learning during the summer."

History

In 1992, Matthew Boulay, a student at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

, recruited his fellow undergraduates to provide tutoring and academic support to Baltimore City public schools students during the summer months. This led to a successful program called Teach Baltimore. As a result of the growing research on

summer learning loss Summer learning loss or ''summer slide'', is the loss of academic skills and knowledge over the course of summer vacation in countries that have lengthy breaks in the school year, such as the US and Canada. Schools see evidence of this because stud ...

, Teach Baltimore evolved into the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University in 2001. In September 2009, the Center transformed into the National Summer Learning Association, an independent organization.

Activities

NSLA serves as a network hub for different summer learning programs and others interested in summer learning across the United States. According to their website, their efforts are focused on achieving the following results: * Increase the number of providers offering high-quality summer learning programs to young people living in poverty; * Increase the number of organizations and policymakers that identify summer learning as a public policy priority; and * Increase funding for high-quality summer learning programs for young people who currently lack choices and opportunities. Partners of the NSLA include the

American Camp Association The American Camp Association (ACA), formerly known as the American Camping Association, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves the United States. It is an association for camp owners, camp professionals and others interested in summer camps and ...

and

Sylvan Learning Sylvan Learning, Inc. (formerly Sylvan Learning Corporation) consists of franchised and corporate supplemental learning centers which provide personalized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills, homework support, and test pre ...

Reception

Media reception

NSLA has been cited in the many articles discussing

and its implications for the

achievement gap in the United States Achievement gaps in the United States are observed, persistent disparities in measures of educational performance among subgroups of U.S. students, especially groups defined by socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity and gender. The achievemen ...

in publications including the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'' and the ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''. NSLA is regularly cited in a number of local newspapers in connection with recommendations for summer activities.

References

External links

* {{official website Educational organizations based in the United States Alternative education Summer schools 2009 establishments in the United States