A Closer Look at a Summer Reading Program: Listening to Students and Parents

Abstract

While existing research documents the effectiveness of summer reading programs, little is know about how and to what degree children actually read the books that are sent home or how families engage with these texts. We took this opportunity to dive in and explore what happened when books were sent home to low‐income, culturally diverse families. Specifically, my doctoral students and I used home visits and interviews to better understand how students and family members engaged with summer reading books. By the end of the summer, we had a gained an expanded understanding of how our summer reading program both built upon and extended families’ existing literacy practices.

Family Support of Third-Grade Reading Skills, Motivation, and Habits

“…Several findings from the present study build upon a literature base that assumes an assets-based perspective of exploring parental support of children's literacy development in families from low-SES communities (Auerbach, 1989;Compton-Lilly, 2007;Compton-Lilly et al, 2016;Heath, 1983;Jarrett et al, 2015;Purcell-Gates, 1996;van Steensel, 2006). For instance, parents' explicit discussion of the value of reading-a form of academic socialization-is consistent with findings in the broader parental engagement literature (Hill, 2001) as well as studies that have explored the ways in which Latino parents share advice, consejos, through personal accounts, stories of struggle, and explicit expectations (Lopez & Vazquez, 2006;Monzó, 2010;Valdés, 1996).…”

“…The present study builds upon research that explores these contributions by examining the ways that parents support their children's reading skills, motivation, and habits through both everyday, authentic reading routines and common school-based practices. Although literacy is far broader than skills implicated while reading books (Perry, 2012), the present study's emphasis on parents' support of reading print, and books specifically, builds upon a research base that suggests that parents 4 from low-SES communities place a high value on developing reading skills promoted in school (Compton-Lilly et al, 2016;Hammer et al, 2005;Jarrett et al, 2015;McWayne et al, 2016).…”

“…For instance, in their longitudinal study of children from ages 5 to 9 and their Latino parents, Reese, Balzano, Gallimore, and Goldenberg (1995) found that a greater percentage of parents reported providing homework assistance than engaging in joint book reading. Positioning the practices of mainstream families as the norm neglects the ways in which activities such as storytelling, elaborative reminiscing, incorporation of reading and writing into daily routines, and discussion of environmental print play a role in the lives of nondominant families (Auerbach, 1989; Compton-Lilly et al, 2016; Leyva, Sparks, & Reese, 2012; Perry, 2010; Purcell-Gates, 1996, 2013).…”

“…Studies of literacy as a social practice have also highlighted that joint book reading often extends beyond the parent–child dyad to include other family members (Auerbach, 1989; Compton-Lilly et al, 2016; Jarrett et al, 2015; Perry, 2010). Jarrett and colleagues (2015) found that multiple adult family members, including grandparents, provided reading-enhancing opportunities to children.…”

“…Jarrett and colleagues (2015) found that multiple adult family members, including grandparents, provided reading-enhancing opportunities to children. Siblings, too, play a critical role in providing reading support, from explicit teaching of skills to joint book reading (Compton-Lilly et al, 2016; Williams & Gregory, 2001). Such studies highlight that the role of parents cannot be fully understood without accounting for the ways in which other family members complement and supplement their efforts.…”