Summer Learning Contest: How will you engage your students and community in reading this summer?

During the school year, literacy is the cornerstone of student learning both inside the classroom and at home. Here at Scholastic, we’ve seen the power of reading time and time again as students develop their skills and open their eyes to new literary adventures and a world of greater understanding. But what happens when the school year ends and summer begins?

According to findings from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™: 6th Edition, kids read eight books over the summer on average; however one in five 12–17 year-olds and one in five kids in lower-income families do not read any books at all over the summer. We know that reading year-round is critical because the “summer slide”—the common loss of academic skills while students out of school—is responsible for as much as 85% of the reading achievement gap between higher- and lower-income students (Allington and McGill-Franzen, 2009).

As the end of the school year rapidly approaches, we want to hear from you in the Summer Learning Contest! How are you creatively engaging your students, families, and community partners to promote reading this summer? Whether you’re creating a book club, partnering with the public library, distributing free books, hosting read-alouds—anything—we want to know.

Tell us: How will you engage your students and community to make a “summer leap” in literacy skills when school lets out this year?

Contest Details (UPDATE: this contest is now closed - thank you for participating!)

The Summer Learning Contest is open through 11:59p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. To enter, describe in the comments section below your plan to inspire summer reading among kids during the summer months.

Three grand prize winners will be selected based on academic alignment, community connectivity, student engagement, and innovation. The winners will have the opportunity to select one of two prizes:

• Two LitCamp Kits: Each includes 150–160 books, 15 student portfolios, 15 wristbands, grade-specific leader’s guide, and the professional book Every Child a Super Reader by Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell

OR

• 60 My Books Summer student book packs: Each student pack includes five books, five activity sheets, a student journal, plus an educator program guide with tips for program implementation and family engagement tools.

No purchase necessary to enter or win. Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, age 18 and older as of April 4, 2018, who work in or volunteer for youth programming and/or education. One entry per person. To read the full rules, click here.