Analysis of summer participation, interests, and barriers at a Boston area public middle school.

1. GIVE A SUMMER FOR
SCHOOL B
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
GiveaSummer.org
Survey and analysis from fall 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 referred to throughout the report as “school B.” This is the
same “school B” that Give a Summer worked with last year. A public report of Give a
Summer’s work last year with school B is also available on Give a Summer’s website.
• Give a Summer worked with two other peer schools, and when relevant, noted differences
between the schools. The other two schools are noted as “school A” and “school C.”
• 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
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3. Outline of presentation
• Executive Summary
• Findings: Previous summer program participation
• Findings: Previous summer program enjoyment
• Findings: Upcoming summer plans
• Findings: Interest by type of program
• Findings: Barriers to summer participation
• Findings: Parent perspectives
• Areas for action
• Appendix
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Slide #
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7
9
10
13
15
25
28
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4. Executive summary: key facts
Past attendance: 60% of students attended a program last summer, with participation
consistent across grades and in-line with school B’s two peer schools.
Satisfaction: Students really enjoy their programs: about 85% of students rated their program
a 4 or 5 (out of 5), with about 50% giving it a 5. 8th graders had lower satisfaction.
Future plans: Students have strong interest in attending a program, with 50% interested and
another 30% not sure. Consistent across grades and slightly behind school C.
Types of summer programs: Students are well matched with programs: the types of
programs students attend are similar to the types of programs they want to go to, though far
fewer students attend overnight camps compared with the number that want to. Students
continue to attend many different programs, though 27 students attended Generation Teach.
Barriers: The largest barrier to summer programs are family vacation conflicts, though several
other barriers were close behind. Focusing on the difference in barrier ratings between
students who did and did not attend: 6th graders had large relative barriers for transportation
and being needed at home, 7th graders for family vacation conflicts and transportation, and 8th
graders around interest in program options and expense.
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5. Executive summary: new facts
Year over year attendance: students who attended a program in summer ’14 were 70% more
likely to attend a program in summer ‘15 (and they were 100% more likely across school B and
its two peer schools)
Interest translating to participation: Students who were interested last spring in attending a
summer program were 30% more likely to attend a summer program compared to students
who were not interested (and they were 60% more likely across school B and its two peer
schools).
Student predictions of family vacation conflicts. Students who rated family vacation
conflicts as a big deal in spring ’15 were far more likely to end up going on family vacations –
especially ones longer than a week – than students who said family vacation conflicts were not
a big deal. Still, 60% of students who rated family vacation conflicts as a big deal did not take
more than a week of family vacation over the summer.
Parent perspective: Across school B and its two peer schools, parents and student responses
were very similar on factual questions (did you attend a program?) and reasonably similar on
questions of program interest and barriers to participation, suggesting surveying students is an
effective way to get at parent views as well. Parents differed in rating expense a bigger deal
and rating family vacation conflicts less of a barrier than their children thought.
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6. Executive summary: key actions
Highlight programs that have flexible schedules to accommodate family vacation plans: This was a
big deal to more than 30% of students who we now know to be reliable predictors of eventual vacation
conflicts. Highlight week by week programs to reach students who will take less than a week of vacation.
Distinguish program recommendations by grades: recommend programs with convenient
transportation to 6th graders, highlight flexible schedules and transportation to 7th graders, and flag lower
cost and exciting programs to 8th graders. Those barriers were significantly higher for students who did not
attend (vs. those who did) in those grades.
Personalize support to students i) interested in attending but who didn’t last year, ii) who attended
in summer ‘14 but didn’t in summer ‘15, and iii) who are unsure about attending but only have one
or two ‘big deal’ barriers. Personal outreach to those 26 students could be especially 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. It also
includes the name and student reviews of all 88 programs that students at school C and its two peer
schools attended this past summer.
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Note: Excel file not included with this public report

7. Findings: summer program participation
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• Overall participation of 60%. Notably, 8th grade has 70% participation.
• Participation – both overall and by grade – similar to two peer schools.
• Participation increased from 48% last summer, especially with 8th graders.
Did you attend a summer program?

8. Findings: Year over year program attendance
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• Previous attendance (or non-attendance) at a summer program is a very strong predictor of future
attendance (or non-attendance).
• Students who attended a summer program in summer ‘14 were 70% more likely to attend a program
over the summer compared to students who did not attend a program in summer ‘14.
• Notably, of the students who attended both summers, only about 40% went to the same program
both summers, suggesting that even students who attended a program last year will actively explore
other programs.
• Given the ‘stickiness’ of summer program attendance, helping a student who did not attend last year
find a program can lead to multi-year benefits.
Attendance at summer programs in summer ‘15 based on attendance in summer ‘14

9. Findings: summer program enjoyment
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• Students greatly enjoy their programs, with 85% rating it a 5 or 4 (out of 5).
• 8th graders had fewer students give their program a 5 than other grades.
• Enjoyment is in line with two peer schools as a whole and modestly increased from last summer.
• Notably, current 7th graders enjoyed their programs a lot more than they did last year in 6th grade.
• Current 8th grade has lower satisfaction than last year’s 8th grade
Did you enjoy the program? (5 is yes, 1 is no)

10. Findings: upcoming summer plans
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• Students have a strong interest in attending a summer program, with 50% interested and another
30% on the fence.
• Interest is remarkably similar across grades, to two peer schools, and to school B last year.
Do you want to attend a summer program this coming summer?

11. Findings: upcoming summer plans vs. previous participation
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• Student interest in attending a program this summer outpaces their attendance at
programs last summer.
• This suggests opportunities to support students unsure about attending
programs to help them find programs that work for them.

12. Findings: how does interest translate to attendance?
12
• Student interest in attending a program is moderately related to eventual summer program
attendance.
• Using data from last spring’s survey, students interested in attending a program are 30% more
likely to attend a program than students not interested in attending one.
• This suggests that other factors – such as barriers facing students and parent interest –
are decisive and important factors to target to increase access and participation in
programs.
Attendance at summer programs based on previous interest in attending a program

13. Findings: types of programs students attend and want to
attend -> results very similar to last year
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• 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.
• The major exception is ‘Overnight camps’ -> Action: highlight more overnight programs to students
• 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)

14. Findings: interest in programs consistent even for students
who report barriers accessing programs -> similar to spring
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• There is not that much of a difference between the types of programs all students want to attend and the
types of programs students who reported large program-related barriers want to attend. This suggests
that the types of programs (day camp, overnight camp, etc. ) you recommend do not need to be
tailored to students who reported large program-related barriers.
• The one exception is science programs where students concerned about program expense report greater
than usual interest in them, indicating that they may being having trouble finding affordable science
programs. Action: look for and highlight affordable science programs.
Do students with program-related barriers have different activity preferences than other
students?

15. Findings: description of different barriers
15
• Students and parents 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 and parents 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,

16. Findings: barriers to summer participation
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• While conflict with family vacation was the largest barrier to summer program participation, it
is a bit lower than it was last spring.
• As it was last year, the impact of each barrier is lowest on 8th graders, highest on 6th
graders (see appendix).
• Ratings were very similar to two peer schools, with conflict with family vacations a slightly
bigger deal at school B and lack of interest in program options less of a barrier.
• While overall barriers provide a useful backdrop, the key insights are in the following slides
that unpack which barriers may be driving program participation.

17. Findings: barriers to summer participation based on
previous attendance
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• Given the strong implied role of outside barriers (and not just student interest – see slide 12) driving
program participation, it is crucial to look into what barriers may be affecting participation.
• Students who did not attend a program last summer rated difficulty getting to programs and being
needed at home as significantly higher barriers than students who attended a program.
• That finding suggests that those factors may be crucial swing factors that affect students’ eventual
participation in programs.
• There are significant variations in these results by grade (see following slides). As a result,
taking action to mitigate these barriers is best done on a grade by grade basis.

18. Findings: barriers to summer participation based on
previous attendance, 6th grade
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• Transportation challenges stand out as a dominant swing factor affecting 6th program participation.
• Action: Find and highlight programs to 6th graders that offer free or convenient transportation.
• Action: Understand and look out for 6th graders with needs at home – from chores, sibling daycare, or
assistance to older family members? – to find programs and opportunities that work around those
demands.

19. Findings: barriers to summer participation based on
previous attendance, 7th grade
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• Conflict with family vacation appears as a significant swing factor for 7th graders.
• Action: Highlight programs with week by week or other flexible schedules to 7th graders.
• Transportation challenges are still a swing factor for 7th graders, though less of a factor than they are for
6th graders.
• Action: Recommend programs with convenient or free transportation.

20. Findings: barriers to summer participation based on
previous attendance, 8th grade (very different)
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• Lack of interest in summer programs and excitement about options are key swing factors for 8th graders.
This may reflect 8th graders growing out of previous programs and looking for new opportunities.
• Program expense emerges as a crucial swing factor, perhaps as these older students become
interested in more expensive, specialized programs.
• Notably, vacation conflicts, transportation challenges, and being needed at home are identical
between students who attended and did not attend programs.
• Action: Focus on re-exciting 8th graders about summer programs options, especially ones that are also
affordable. School C had significantly higher 8th grade program satisfaction -> look to programs their
students attended for ideas of great programs to recommend at school B.

21. Findings: barriers to summer participation based on
previous attendance, 8th grade – what is going on?
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• One hand: overall 8th grade interest in line with other grades (see slide 10).
• Other hand: 8th grade satisfaction is lower than other grades (see slide 9), indicating possible broader
dissatisfaction with summer program opportunities. In particular, 8th graders who didn’t attend a program
last year are basically uninterested in day camps, one of the more common types of programs.
• Though over summer ‘14, 8th graders had by far the highest program satisfaction, so perhaps
challenge is with these particular students, not 8th grade as a transition year.
• Action: Focus efforts to re-engage these 8th graders around summer program opportunities, keeping in
mind that even those who attended programs were not as satisfied as other grades with their programs.
It doesn’t look like these students are looking for a different type of activity – STEM or overnight camps –
but perhaps more in-person conversation can reveal what more subtle qualities they’re looking for or
would be excited by in summer programs.

22. Findings: ratings of family vacation conflicts strongly
relate to eventual family vacations over the summer
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• Students are good at predicting family vacation conflicts: those who rated it a larger barrier last spring took
significantly longer vacation that students who did not.
• However, even for students who rated vacation conflicts a big deal, 60% ended up not taking a vacation or
only a week-long vacation.
• Action: highlight week to week programs even to students who say family vacation conflicts are a big deal
as, based on their experience last summer, 60% of them would have been able to attend that type of
program.

23. Findings: barriers to summer participation based on
upcoming interest
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• Barriers are very similar for students interested in attending a program and those who are unsure,
suggesting that assessments of program barriers are not driving expressions of student interest
in programs.
• Major exception is conflict with family vacations where students who are unsure rate this as a
large barrier and moderately more significant to them than for students interested in going to a
program.

24. Findings: barriers to summer participation for
interested students who didn’t attend last summer
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• There are 10 students who want to attend a program but who didn’t last year.
• These students face significantly greater obstacles due to program expense and transportation
challenges.
• Action: when targeting these students, particularly highlight lower cost programs that offer convenient
transportation.
• Notably, these students also rated signing up but not attending a bigger deal, suggesting that they
may need greater support or reminders to end up making it to their program.

25. Findings: parent perspective
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• Cannot generalize about parent perspective from school B because of only 11 parent responses
• Across school B and its two peer schools, the surveys had a 40% parent response rate, with
students whose parents responded fairly representative of overall student population
• Parents are slightly more interested than their children in having students attend a program. They
are also slightly more satisfied in the programs students attend than students are.
• Program expense stands out as a bigger deal for parents, while family vacation conflicts less of a
problem for them.

26. Findings: parent perspective
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• 6th grade parents across school B and its two peer schools are especially concerned about
program expense and substantially less concerned about family vacation conflicts than their
children.

27. Findings: parent perspective
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• Parents across school B and its two peer schools prefer to get help from schools by having
schools send home lists of programs. More than 75% of all parents who responded asked for this
type of assistance.

28. Areas for action: general
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Highlight programs that have flexible schedules to accommodate family vacation plans:
• Action: find and highlight programs that have week-by-week schedules.
• Action: find and highlight programs that are daily, such as those run by BCYF.
Distinguish program recommendations by grades: The following barriers were significantly higher for
students who did not attend (vs. those who did) in those grades. Given how strongly predictive past
attendance is of future program attendance, focusing on barriers that differ between students who did and
didn’t attend a program is a promising way to isolate the key roadblocks facing students.
• Action: recommend programs with convenient transportation to 6th graders.
• Action: understand and look out for 6th graders with needs at home to find programs and opportunities that
work around those demands.
• Action: highlight flexible schedules and transportation to 7th graders.
• Action: recommend lower cost and exciting programs to 8th graders. Look to school C, where 8th graders
enjoyed their programs more, for ideas.
Lack of interest in program options matters, but can be solved. This was another large barrier with a
couple different concrete ways to address it.
• Action: recommend to students unexcited by their options some of the great programs students have
previously enjoyed.
• Action: highlight overnight programs which students are interested in but rarely get to attend.
• Action: look for low cost science and technology programs, the one type of program where program cost
looks like it is disproportionally affecting students.
• Action: for students uninterested in programs, recommend sports programs, the one type of program
these students are strongly interested in.

29. Areas for action: student specific
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Three groups of students seem like promising ones to focus personalized
support on:
• 1) Want to attend but didn’t this summer
• 2) Attended summer ‘14 but didn’t attend summer ‘15
• 2) Not sure of attending but only have one or two big deal obstacles
• In total, 26 students students across school B fall into one of these categories.
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.
• Action: Look at data on all the programs students at school B and its two peer
schools attended for ideas about other programs that may be great suggestions
for your students
• Action: Share “top students to focus on” with each homeroom teacher.
Note: Excel file not included with this public report

30. Appendix
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• Methodology and response rates
• Length of program attendance
• Year over year program attendance
• Distribution of barrier ratings
• Barrier ratings by grade
• Program attendance, enjoyment, and type
Slide #
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32
33
34
35
36

31. Appendix: survey response rates
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• Methodology: Survey was given to all middle school students and parents at
school C
• The student survey received an exceptionally high response rate that was
consistent across grades and schools. However, response rates from the parent
survey was low at school B, significantly lower than for school B’s two peer
schools.

32. Appendix: length of program attendance
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• When students attend summer programs, they overwhelmingly do so for at least a few
weeks.

33. Appendix: YoY program attendance
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• Among students surveyed last spring and this fall, program attendance modestly increased from
summer ‘14 to summer ‘15.

34. Appendix: distribution of barrier ratings
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• Conflict with family vacation, program expense, and transportation challenges are
intense barriers, affecting some students strongly.
• By contrast, lack of interest in programs and difficulty signing up are diffuse
barriers, broadly though modestly affecting lots of students.

35. Appendix: barriers by grade
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• Barrier ratings are fairly consistent across grades.

36. Appendix: program attendance, average enjoyment, and
program characteristics
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• See attached Excel for data on all the 88 programs that students attended across school
B and its two peer schools
• At school B, 65 students attended 25 different programs. Notably, 27 students attended
[program names not included in public report].
• Of the common programs, students particularly like [program names not included in public
report].
• Recommendations for [program names not included in public report] mostly came from
family and friends
• Barriers were reasonably similar at common programs, with [program names not included
in public report] more difficult for students to get to than other programs.
Note: Excel file not included with this public report