Most people associate summer with activities that have nothing to do with school, or, if they do, summer school comes to mind -- the remediation variety. Historically, summer school is for struggling students who need to relearn and firm up skills from prior years or for those required to retake a class. But what if it could be reimagined how to…

School districts have historically operated summer programs to give students extra learning and enrichment opportunities to promote positive academic and behavioral outcomes. Despite the potential benefits and policymakers' endorsement of summer programming, recent research suggests that summer programs have a limited impact on post-pandemic…

There is a growing demand for a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) trained workforce in the United States. In order to remain globally competitive, the US needs to increase the STEM workforce not only in numbers but also diversity. Colleges and universities throughout the US need to not only gain STEM majors but retain them…

Nationwide, over 430,000 thousand teachers serve seven million students with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for eligible students with a disability in one or more of 13 categories, and to the greatest extent possible, for inclusion, so that students with…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the use of specific vocabulary instructional strategies during a six-week summer program to determine if the iReady universal screener measured an impact on student vocabulary and reading comprehension. The study utilized a treatment group (n = 34) and a control group (n = 40) from…

Engaging in research experiences as a high school or undergraduate student interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is pivotal for their academic and professional development. A structured teaching framework can help cultivate a student's curiosity and passion for learning and research. In this study, an eight-week…

Recent years have seen an explosion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research leading to myriad practical applications. This backdrop serves as a powerful motivator for students. George Mason University hosts an annual Aspiring Students Summer Internship Program (ASSIP) for students to participate as interns in ongoing…

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate student motivation before and after the summer internship, in other words, to evaluate whether the summer internship affects male and female motivations differently. Design/methodology/approach: Investigating whether the motivation score predicts grade point average was included by adopting a quantitative…

College retention, persistence, and completion are key indicators of a successful institution, but six-year degree completion has remained stagnant in recent years (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2022). Despite institutional efforts through success initiatives to keep students retained, one set of barriers to degree completion may…

Despite the substantial efforts made by higher education institutions to reduce dropout rates, a considerable proportion of students still discontinues their initial study program. In view of this situation, the present study aims to investigate whether participation in first-year courses for personal and academic support goes along with a…

From 2013 to 2016, the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality and the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) partnered to design and test the Summer Learning Program Quality Intervention (SLPQI). The Summer Learning Program Quality Assessment, which defines quality as the presence of identified practices that benefit young people, was…

Recently there has been an emphasis on how time spent outside of the classroom can affect student outcomes, including high school graduation, with the hope of closing academic achievement gaps along socioeconomic and racial lines. This paper provides experimental evidence regarding a particular type of out-of-school activity--early work…

This action research study examined the impact of a summer literacy program on summer reading setback. Gaining Ground is a summer intervention program designed primarily for economically disadvantaged students in Grades K-5. By granting access to self-selected books and implementing project-based curriculum, Gaining Ground aims to improve reading…

Many students, including collegiate student-athletes, face academic challenges throughout their higher education experience, struggling to learn and perform effectively. One reason for this difficulty may be that students are not engaging in adequate self-regulated learning (SRL). Although research has demonstrated the effectiveness of SRL…

Using institutional data from University of California, Merced (UC Merced), this dissertation explores the relationship between enrolling in academic units in the summer term immediately after the first year of college (first-summer) and four-year degree completion at a Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institution, through the lenses of Academic…