Summer Advantage USA

Dear Secretary Duncan:

We, the undersigned, strongly endorse Summer Advantage USA. Summer Advantage USA provides elementary and middle school students with research-based summer learning programs focused on academic gains. During the summer, children from low-income communities traditionally lose the equivalent of three months of learning compared with their higher-income peers. In contrast, Summer Advantage USA’s young scholars have been shown to make nearly three months of academic gains during the five week program. Summer Advantage USA helps close the “achievement gap” by providing students with six cumulative months of learning gains over the summer months. Summer Advantage USA’s high quality, low cost, accelerated summer learning program should be a critical component of our educational system, ensuring children fully utilize the summer month’s to develop as scholars, citizens and leaders.

Summer Advantage USA provides critical tools to children, educators and school systems, and advances the Department of Education’s mission to “promot[e] world-class academic standards and a curriculum that fosters critical thinking, problem solving, and the innovative use of knowledge to prepare students for college and career.” Specifically:

1. Summer Advantage USA uses a curriculum that is aligned to national standards, coordinated with state standards, and is proven to provide key tools that promote college readiness;

2. Summer Advantage USA tracks and analyzes student level data through the summer months to provide longitudinal academic data largely absent from existing systems;

3. Summer Advantage USA provides proven accelerated professional development opportunities for current and future teachers serving children in our nation's struggling schools;

4. Summer Advantage USA works directly with school-level and district leaders to provide and promote drivers for academic achievement.

As parents, educators, and friends, we support rigorous academic and enrichment opportunities for children over the summer months. We believe that Summer Advantage USA is one of the best investments for our nation’s future and offer our support as a testament to its impact in our communities.






		Dear Secretary Duncan: We, the undersigned, strongly endorse Summer Advantage USA. Summer Advantage USA provides elementary and middle school students with research-based summer learning programs focused on academic gains. During the summer, children from low-income communities traditionally lose the equivalent of three months of learning compared with their higher-income peers. In contrast, Summer Advantage USA’s young scholars have been shown to make nearly three months of academic gains during the five week program. Summer Advantage USA helps close the “achievement gap” by providing students with six cumulative months of learning gains over the summer months. Summer Advantage USA’s high quality, low cost, accelerated summer learning program should be a critical component of our educational system, ensuring children fully utilize the summer month’s to develop as scholars, citizens and leaders. Summer Advantage USA provides critical tools to children, educators and school systems, and advances the Department of Education’s mission to “promot[e] world-class academic standards and a curriculum that fosters critical thinking, problem solving, and the innovative use of knowledge to prepare students for college and career.” Specifically: 1. Summer Advantage USA uses a curriculum that is aligned to national standards, coordinated with state standards, and is proven to provide key tools that promote college readiness; 2. Summer Advantage USA tracks and analyzes student level data through the summer months to provide longitudinal academic data largely absent from existing systems; 3. Summer Advantage USA provides proven accelerated professional development opportunities for current and future teachers serving children in our nation's struggling schools; 4. Summer Advantage USA works directly with school-level and district leaders to provide and promote drivers for academic achievement. As parents, educators, and friends, we support rigorous academic and enrichment opportunities for children over the summer months. We believe that Summer Advantage USA is one of the best investments for our nation’s future and offer our support as a testament to its impact in our communities.		To become a signatory in support of Summer Advantage USA, please add your name and contact information below. (minimum of your name and email address) Salutation First Name Last Name Email Phone Company City State/Province Zip Country 1. How are you connected to Summer Advantage USA? Are you a: --None-- Student Parent Teacher Administrator/ Principal Superintendent Government Official Donor or Funder Community Member Other : SA Relationship Other: 2. Would you like to stay up to date on the exciting progress of Summer Advantage USA through our e-newsletter, we will automatically sign you up unless you select “No, thank you.”? No, thank you 3. If there other community champions that you think Summer Advantage USA should send our letter of support to please provide the names and email addresses of the appropriate community champions so we can request their support. Thank you!