Prof. Castleman Has Summer Melt Research Cited in New Opinion Piece

08/18/2016

Ben Castleman, an assistant professor at EdPolicyWorks and Curry, has summer melt research cited in new op-ed.

The kids who win the summer

Summer is also a major hurdle on the path to college and careers. Although lower-income students need summer jobs the most, they are much less likely to be employed during the summer than their wealthier peers. This means less opportunity to develop marketable skills and to save money for living expenses and college. Without access to great summer bridge programs for key transition years (middle to high school/high school to college), ninth grade students are more likely to fall off track to graduate and college freshmen are less positioned for college success. And researchers, Lindsay Page and Ben Castleman, have found that summer is a time when many low-income students who intend to enroll in college slip through the cracks and never make it to campus. However, our education system (Pre-K through higher education institutions) and many well-intentioned adults working in this system often drop the baton during this crucial and challenging time for students.