Analysis of the summer participation, future summer plans, and barriers to summer programs for a Boston area middle school’s students (grades 6 – 8) and areas for action.

1. GIVE A SUMMER FOR
SCHOOL C
Analysis of the summer participation, future
summer plans, and barriers to summer
programs for a Boston area middle school’s
students (grades 6 – 8) and areas for action.
Prepared by Give a Summer
ramon@giveasummer.org
GiveaSummer.org
May 2015

2. Background on report
• This is the public version of a report prepared by Give a Summer for a Boston area middle
school analyzing the summer participation, future plans, and barriers facing their middle
school students. The school is referenced throughout the report as “school C.”
• Give a Summer worked with three peer schools, and when relevant, noted differences
between the schools. The other two schools are noted as “school A” and “school B.”
• With all three schools’ approval, Give a Summer is releasing public versions of the three
school reports as further examples of how communities can better understand and support
youth participation in summer opportunities.
• Give a Summer believes that getting communities to collect and analyze data about where
and why kids miss out on summer programs will:
• improve youth access to summer programs by broadly identifying high-need areas and
barriers to summer program participation
• empower youth-serving organizations, such as schools and mentoring organizations, to
more effectively target and support individual students to make great summer plans
• strengthen advocacy efforts by clarifying the need for opportunities
• increase public accountability for improvement
2

3. Outline of presentation
• Executive Summary
• Findings: Previous summer participation
• Findings: Previous summer enjoyment
• Findings: Upcoming summer plans
• Findings: Interest by type of program
• Findings: Barriers to summer participation
• Areas for action
• Areas for investigation
• Appendix
3
Slide #
4
7
8
9
11
14
19
21
22

4. Executive summary: key facts
Past attendance: 57% of students attended a program last summer, with participation
increasing a little bit in 7th and 8th grades and slightly ahead of the three schools as a whole.
Satisfaction: Students really enjoy their programs: about 85% of students rated their program
a 4 or 5 (out of 5), with about 60% giving it a 5. Satisfaction was ahead of the three school
average.
Future plans: Students have a strong interest in attending a program, with nearly 70%
interested and 20% not sure. Interest is particularly strong in 7th grade, with 80% interested.
Interest is greater than in the three schools as a whole.
Types of summer programs: Students are well matched with programs: the types of
programs students attend are very similar to the types of programs they want to go to.
Barriers: The two biggest barriers to summer participation are i) expense of programs and ii)
family vacation conflicts, though across the board school C had lower barriers than the three
schools as a whole. For students unsure of attending a program, transportation challenges
were also a major concern. Barriers were greatest for students in 6th grade.
4

5. Executive summary: key actions
Highlight programs that have flexible schedules to accommodate family vacation plans: Besides
program expense, this was the biggest barriers to participation, and it was the largest barrier for students
who are not sure of attending a program.
Lack of interest in program options matters, but can be solved. This was the 3rd largest barrier and a
key differentiator between students who did and did not attend a program last year. Yet students who
reported a lack of programs that interest them have nearly the same program interests as students who
went to programs last year or who want to go to a program this summer.
Personalize support to students interested in attending but who didn’t last year or who are unsure
about attending but only have one or two ‘big deal’ barriers. 25 students fall into the first category and
17 more students are in the second group. Personal outreach to these students could be particularly
effective to help them access summer opportunities.
Use student-level data on barriers to effectively connect students with programs that match their
interests and needs. The accompanying Excel file has student-level data on past and upcoming
attendance, interest in different types of programs, as well as student ratings of summer program barriers
to help effectively and efficiently connect students with summer programs that match their needs.
5
Note: Excel file not included with this public report

6. Executive summary: key questions
What are parent perspectives on barriers to summer program participation?
• Impact: improve efforts to expand summer access by incorporating influential parent perspective
When and for how long do families take vacations?
• Depending on when and for how long families take vacations, there are different ways to best
support summer opportunities for students: highlighting programs in July for families that take
August vacations or recommending week by week programs for families that travel in July.
• Impact: better target communication and suggestions to students’ and families’ needs
How do students’ plans for summer participation compare to their actual summer
participation?
• Knowing how well students’ plans for the summer match their outcomes would inform how much do
you want to concentrate on students who are not sure of their plans vs. working more broadly with
all students.
• Impact: more effectively help students access summer opportunities
Why do more students from school C attend programs and enjoy them compared to the other
two schools?
• Impact: share successful strategies with other schools to help them realize similar, great outcomes
6

7. Findings: summer program participation
7
• Overall participation of 57% is slightly higher than in the three schools as a whole.
• Participation at school C is slightly lower among 6th graders
Did you attend a summer program last summer?
57%
40%
3%
All students
Yes
No
Not sure
50%
44%
6%
6th Grade
Yes
No
Not sure
63%
35%
2%
7th Grade
Yes
No
Not sure 59%
41%
0%
8th Grade
Yes
No
Not sure

8. Findings: summer program enjoyment
8
• Students really enjoy their programs, with 85% rating it a 5 or 4 (out of 5)
• Average satisfaction (of 4.4) is very consistent across grades, though 8th grade has fewer
students rating programs a 5.
• Satisfaction is above the three schools as a whole (school C average of 4.4 compared to 4.0
average across the three schools)
Did you enjoy the program? (5 is yes, 1 is no)
1% 1%
13%
24%
60%
All students
1 2 3 4 5
0%
4%
16%
16%
64%
6th Grade
1 2 3 4 5
3%
0%
16%
16%
65%
7th Grade
1 2 3 4 5
0%0%
5%
47%
47%
8th Grade
1 2 3 4 5

9. Findings: upcoming summer plans
9
• Students are very interested in attending a program, with nearly 70% interested and another 20% on
the fence.
• Interest is spectacularly high amongst 7th graders (80% interested), though lower with 6th and 8th
graders
• Student interest is slightly greater than in the three schools as a whole.
Do you want to attend a summer program this coming summer?
68%
11%
21%
All students
Yes
No
Not sure
66%
8%
26%
6th Grade
Yes
No
Not sure
80%
8%
12%
7th Grade
Yes
No
Not sure 53%
19%
28%
8th Grade
Yes
No
Not sure

10. Findings: upcoming summer plans vs. previous participation
10
• Student interest in attending a program this summer outpaces attendance at programs last
summer.
• Action: This leads to our recommendation to support the students interested in attending a
program but who may need help making it one.
• Additionally, given attendance is below interest in attending programs, very few students who are
not sure of attending a program will get to attend one, leading Give a Summer to also
recommend a focus on these students.
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
all students 6th grade 7th grade 8th grade
Students' interest in a ending programs exceeds past par cipa on
Want to go to a program this summer Want to go or are unsure Went to a program last year

11. Findings: types of programs students attend and want to
attend
11
• Overall, students are well matched with the programs they attend: The types of programs that students
went to last year and that students are interested in for this summer are similar.
• Notably, for students who are unsure about attending a program this summer, they are interested in similar
programs to the types of programs that students have previously attended
• Action: recommending those programs can help unsure students find programs that interest them.
• Action: hook students not interested in attending programs with sports programs. This was the only
type of program these students were interested in.
What do students do over the summer and what do they want to do?
(students grouped by interest in attending a program this summer)
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Day camp Overnight
camp
Sports Performing
Arts (Music,
Theatre)
Educa onal Religious
retreat
Community
Service
Went to a program last year Interested Not sure Not interested

12. Findings: types of programs student attend vs. types of
program students with program barriers attend
12
• Students who said program-related barriers (i.e., programs are too expensive, tough to get to, etc.)
are a big deal attended very similar programs as other students.
All students: types of programs students attend vs. types of programs students with program
barriers attend
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Day camp Overnight camp Sports Performing Arts
(Music, Theatre)
Educa onal
Went to a program last year
Barrier: Don't know of summer programs that interest me
Barrier: Summer programs are too expensive
Barrier: Tough to get to summer programs (no bus, etc.)

13. Findings: desired types of programs: detail for students for
whom program barriers are a big deal
13
• Students who said program-related barriers (i.e., programs are too expensive, tough to get to, etc.)
are a big deal have very similar program preferences for this coming summer as students overall.
• This, in addition to the previous slide which showed that students with large program barriers
attended very similar programs to students as a whole, suggests that students confronting these
barriers are not doing so because they have unique program interests (i.e., they are attracted to
day camps) but because of their unique circumstances as well as the programs they are aware of.
• Action: When looking for programs that are low cost or are easy to get to, look for the programs
all students want to attend.
All students: overall student interests vs. interests of those students who rated barriers a big
deal

14. Findings: description of different barriers
14
• Students were asked to rate how important various potential barriers were to
participating in summer programs.
• Below, the text of those barriers is presented and barriers are grouped into
categories.
• Students rated barriers as a “Big deal”, “Small deal”, or “Does not apply”
• Those descriptions were converted to scores: “Big deal” is a 2, “Small deal” is
1, “Does not apply” is 0

15. Findings: barriers to summer participation
15
• Program expense and schedule conflicts with family vacations were the largest barriers
• Barriers across the board were lower for school C than the other two schools
• Lack of interest in program options and transportation challenges were also modest
barriers
• The impact of each barrier is greatest on 6th graders (see appendix).
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
Don't want
to go
Programs
don't
interest
me
Programs
are full
Too
expensive
Conflict
with family
vaca on
Tough to
get to
Needed at
home
Tough to
sign up
Signed up
but didn't
go
Went but
didn't like
it
Barriers to summer par cipa on (average score)

16. Findings: barriers to summer participation based on
previous attendance
16
• Students who did not attend a program last summer rated lack of interest in programs, family
vacation conflicts, and transportation challenges as higher barriers than students who attended.
• That finding suggests that those factors may be crucial swing factors that affect students’
eventual participation in programs. See dark green
• These findings were consistent across grades
• Action: Help students find programs that match their interests, that have flexible schedules, and
are easy to get to.
-0.3
0.3
0.8
1.3
Don't want
to go
Programs
don't
interest
me
Programs
are full
Too
expensive
Conflict
with family
vaca on
Tough to
get to
Needed at
home
Tough to
sign up
Signed up
but didn't
go
Went but
didn't like
it
Barriers to summer par cipa on based on previous a endance (avg.)
Yes No Difference

17. Findings: barriers to summer participation based on
upcoming interest
17
• Students who are unsure about attending programs rated program expense, conflict with
family vacations, and transportation challenges as their largest barriers and as a bigger
deal than students interested in attending a program.
• Action: To help students who are unsure about attending a programs, this suggests
especially working with them to find programs that are low cost, offer flexible schedules,
and convenient transportation access.
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
Don't want to
go
Programs don't
interest me
Programs are
full
Too expensive Conflict with
family vaca on
Tough to get to Needed at
home
Tough to sign
up
Signed up but
didn't go
Went but
didn't like it
Barriers to par cipa on based on interest in upcoming summer (avg.)
Interested Not sure Not interested

18. Findings: barriers to summer participation for
interested students who didn’t attend last summer
18
• As a result of high student interest in attending programs, there are 25 students who want to
attend a program but who didn’t last year.
• When compared to all students interested in attending a program, the students who didn’t attend
one last year rate most barriers slightly higher, with difficulty signing up increasing the most.
• Action: To help students interested in programs but who didn’t attend last year, there is no silver
bullet barrier to focus on. One barrier to keep in mind, though, is the challenge of signing up for
programs, something these students may not have much experience with from previous years.
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
Don't want
to go
Programs
don't
interest
me
Programs
are full
Too
expensive
Conflict
with family
vaca on
Tough to
get to
Needed at
home
Tough to
sign up
Signed up
but didn't
go
Went but
didn't like
it
Barriers to summer par cipa on (average score)
All students Interested Interested but didn't go last year

19. Areas for action: general
19
Highlight programs that have flexible schedules to accommodate family vacation plans:
Besides program expense, this was the biggest barriers to participation, and it was the largest barrier
for students who are not sure of attending a program.
• Action: Find and highlight programs that have week-by-week schedules
• Action: Find and highlight programs that are daily, such as these run by BCYF
Lack of interest in program options matters, but can be solved. This was the 3rd largest barrier
and a key differentiator between students who did and did not attend a program last year. Yet students
who reported a lack of programs that interest them have nearly the same program interests as
students who went to programs last year or who want to go to a program this summer.
• Action: recommend to students unexcited by their options some of the great programs students
have previously enjoyed.
• Action: for students uninterested in programs, recommend sports programs, the one type of
program these students they are strongly interested in.
Look for programs that are low cost or convenient to get to across different types of programs.
There aren’t particular types of programs where cost or transportation seems to be a particularly big
deal. So, when looking for low cost or convenient programs, look for programs that match students’
interests, like day camps, sports programs, overnight camps, and performing arts programs.

20. Areas for action: student specific
20
Two groups of students seem like promising ones to focus personalized
support on:
• 1) Want to attend but didn’t last year: 25 students across school C fall into this
category which seems a promising area to focus individual attention on. No
barriers stand out for these students compared to their peers. Use the student-
level data to help each of them.
• 2) Not sure of attending but only have one or two big deal obstacles: this
applies to 17 students and is another promising group of students to support with
individualized help. Again, see the accompanying Excel for more information on
these students.
Use student-level data on barriers to effectively connect students (and
families) with programs that match their needs. The attached Excel file has
student-level data on attendance and summer program barriers to help effectively
and efficiently connect students with summer programs that match their needs.
• Action: Use data to best match students with programs visiting school.
• Action: Share “5 students to focus on” with each homeroom teacher.
Note: Excel file not included with this public report

21. Areas for investigation
21
What are parent perspectives on barriers to summer program participation?
• For example, students don’t rate difficulty signing up for programs as that big a deal, though teachers often
describe this as a big challenge. What do parents think?
• Impact: improve efforts to expand summer access by incorporating influential parent perspective
When and for how long do families take vacations?
• Depending on when and for how long families take vacations, there are different ways to best support
summer opportunities for students: highlighting programs in July for families that take August vacations or
recommending week by week programs for families that travel in July.
• Impact: better target communication and suggestions to students’ and families’ needs.
How do students’ plans for summer participation compare to their actual summer participation?
• Knowing how well students’ plans for the summer match their outcomes would inform how much do you
want to concentrate on students who are not sure of their plans vs. working more equally with all students.
• Impact: more effectively help students access summer opportunities
Why do more students from school C attend programs and enjoy them compared to other two peer
schools?
• Impact: share successful strategies with other schools to help them realize similar, great outcomes

22. Appendix
22
• Methodology and response rates
• Length of program attendance
• Distribution of barrier ratings
• Barrier ratings by grade
• Findings from student comments
Slide #
23
24
25
26
27

23. Appendix: survey response rates
23
• Survey (example is linked here) is given to all the middle school students at the
three schools, with student ID, grade, and classroom prepopulated.
• The survey received a very high response rate that was consistent across grades
and schools.
• Below are the responses rates at this school:
Response rates
# of students for
whom surveys were
created
# of students who
responded to a
survey
respose rate (%)
All students 137 130 95%
In grade:
6 52 50 96%
7 50 49 98%
8 35 32 91%

24. Appendix: length of program attendance
24
• When students go to programs, they generally attend for at least a month, with
another large percentage attending for a few weeks.
• Results are consistent across grades and similar to the three schools as a whole.
Length of attendance
A few days 1 week A few weeks A month or more
All students 1% 9% 33% 56%
Grade
6 4% 8% 24% 64%
7 0% 13% 32% 55%
8 0% 5% 47% 47%

25. Appendix: distribution of barrier ratings
25
• Consistent with their higher average scores, program expense and family
vacation conflicts had the most students reporting their barriers were a big deal.
12% 17% 17% 24% 19% 15% 10% 8% 6% 14%
31% 29% 20%
26% 34%
30%
21% 28%
15%
20%
57% 54% 63%
50% 47% 55%
69% 63%
79%
66%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Don't want
to go
Programs
don't
interest
me
Programs
are full
Too
expensive
Conflict
with family
vaca on
Tough to
get to
Needed at
home
Tough to
sign up
Signed up
but didn't
go
Went but
didn't like
it
Barriers to summer par cipa on (distribu on of ra ngs)
"Big deal" "Small deal" "Does not apply"

26. Appendix: barriers by grade
26
• The impact of each barrier is highest on 6th graders and about the same for 7th
and 8th graders.
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
Don't want
to go
Programs
don't
interest
me
Programs
are full
Too
expensive
Conflict
with family
vaca on
Tough to
get to
Needed at
home
Tough to
sign up
Signed up
but didn't
go
Went but
didn't like
it
Barriers to summer par cipa on (average score)
6 7 8

27. Appendix: breakdown of additional student comments
27
• Student comments reveal diversity of student concerns and
preferences
• Family vacation conflicts was the most frequent comment by far
Breakdown of student comments by broad categories
Prefer something different Looking for the right opportunity Barriers
More detail on specific student comments
Comment % of students Comment % of students Comment % of students
Interested in job 4% Don't know of options 4% Family travel obligations 9%
Not interested 2%
Need to be interested by the
program
0% Tough to sign up 5%
Want to do what I want 2% Cost 2%
Want to spend time with
family
1% Needed at home 2%
Family made me go 0% Other conflicts 2%
Already learn at home 0% Bad experience 1%
Lack of transportation 0%
18%
Note: Sum of specific comments percentages does not necessarily equal percentages in each
category (and will often exceed it) as student comments could reference more than one specific
7% 4%