The U.S. Conference of Mayors gave unanimous support to a resolution on summer learning loss at its annual summer conference in Las Vegas.

The resolution, submitted by mayors, acknowledges the role the summer slide plays in eroding student performance and exacerbating achievement gaps. For younger students, particularly those from low-income families, it can leave them unable to read well by the end of third grade. For older students, it can increase the chance they will drop out of high school.

“Students who don’t have access to books and educational opportunities when school lets out for the summer lose ground academically,” said Providence Mayor Angel Taveras one of four co-sponsors on the resolution. “As mayors, we are taking decisive action to address this ‘summer learning loss,’ so that every child can achieve in the classroom and be successful in their lives.”

The resolution calls on mayors to:

• Celebrate summer learning and educate the community about the risks of summer learning loss and the importance of reading by third grade
• Catalogue summer learning opportunities at schools, libraries, nonprofits, libraries, recreation centers and other partners so that parents can find resources and the city can assess needs
• Commit to expanding access to summer learning opportunities through the city budget or partnerships with nonprofits, businesses and foundations

To help mayors address summer learning loss the GLR Campaign distributed this Toolkit for Mayors in Las Vegas and online. We’ve also created a Toolkit for Communities engaging in Summer Learning Day.

Already, 81 GLR Campaign communities have shared their Summer Learning Day plans, events, and celebrations. Thank you so much for your hard work and perseverance. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to list your event on the Summer Learning Day map.

Learn more about what your peers are doing to celebrate Summer Learning Day. Here are just a few examples:

• The City of Delray Beach, Florida, is infusing two hours of learning each day into its city-run summer camps to reach 850 young children, up from 200 last year.  Activities such as Literacy Coalition–hosted reading nights at each camp will engage parents in the learning process.
• National Summer Learning Day in Stockton, Calif., was the launch date for a series of “Family Literacy Parties” for families with preschool aged children. Attendees will receive information on the importance of attendance; local literacy programs and services; and a new children’s book.
• Fresno, Calif.’s Summer Matters campaign kicked summer 2013 with an event highlighting new research showing that students who participated in summer programs increased their instruction grade level by over 1/3 of a grade, improved their attitude toward reading and made significant strides towards increasing their vocabulary, among other positive findings.
• In Tampa, a partnership between United Way, various provider agencies, and a local college provides pre-service teachers to tutor struggling children at nearly a dozen different agencies throughout the summer.