Although 90 percent of parents agree that children lose skills they've acquired during the school year during the summer months of "brain drain," more than three out of five parents do not believe their children in particular do.

The results were found in a survey conducted through Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy's, and revealed that 61 percent of parents do not think their child loses reading skills over the summer.

The survey included 525 U.S. parents ages 22+ of 5-11 year-olds in school," and the results were "made public as Macy's and RIF launch the 12th annual Be Book Smart campaign to support children's literacy, giving customers the opportunity to make a difference for children in their communities," according to the press release.

The survey also found that almost half of the survey parents- 45 percent- believe that children have access to books for reading over the summer. The reality is that more than two-thirds of children living in poverty do not have access to books in their home or elsewhere.

"Students who lose reading ability over the summer rarely catch up. Existing research shows that 75 percent of students who read poorly in third grade, a bench mark year for literacy skill building, remain poor readers in high school. The key to helping children maintain or improve their literacy skills over the summer is providing access to quality books they can choose based on personal interests," the press release said.

The survey results are from a two-year extensive study in an effort to study summer slide and learning opportunities for the summer months and hopes to highlight the need for parents to be active about promoting summer reading.

The partners of the survey, RIF and Macy's, are promoting the Be Book Smart campaign,which includes summer reading lists, resources, and giveaways to help children nationwide "embrace the joy of summer reading."

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

06/19/2015