Summer of All-Stars

Opening Doors & Closing Opportunity Gaps

For many students, September marks the return to school and structured education. But for more than 47,000 All-Stars across the country, this summerhas provided a rich period of learning, exploration, and unique experiences. From hiking to sailing to cleaning up beaches; from gardening to cooking to a trip to the governor’s home—All-Stars have remained active, engaged, and learning!

Support These Programs

ASAS programs target the interests, needs, goals, and priorities of our youth and their families because every child is unique and every community is resourced differently. This adaptability is especially important in the summerbecause more than half of U.S. students experience summer learning losses five years in a row. According to research published in the American Educational Research Journal , these students on average lose nearly 40 percent of their school year gains.?

Across the U.S., All-Stars experienced trips to museums, zoos, playgrounds, state parks, and college campuses—building upon and reinforcing the content they learn during the school year. The results are encouraging:?a recent study by NSLA (the National Summer Learning Association) has found that youth perceptions of their own social-emotional well-being and growth—as well as other outcomes, including preparedness for the return to school, and voice, choice, and support—were statistically more positive among youth who had structured summer experiences compared to unstructured experiences. ?

Research shows that high-quality summer programs can make a difference in stemming learning loss and closing the country’s educational and opportunity gaps. That’s why Program staff at every chapter work so hard to create summer curricula and measure impact through the lens of our five core programs: academic readiness, health and wellness, the arts, STEM learning, and career exploration. These are the content areas where we can spark passions and help students make the biggest gains.