The Los Angeles Times – Michelle Maltais 
Sure, summer’s great with its carefree, longer days and sweet break from the routine of the classroom. Here’s the bummer: Over break, kids can actually lose what they’ve learned over the previous school year. Researchers call it the “summer slide.” Summer break widens achievement gaps between kids from kindergarten through high school. And, like many things, it hits poor children harder. As kids from higher-income families actually raise their reading skills during the time off, kids from lower-income families lose two to three months of reading skills in the summer – which they don’t make up in the school year. That means by the fifth grade, they can be behind their peers by 2½ to three years.(more)