III 109th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 529 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 12, 2006 Mr. Obama (for himself, Mr. DeMint, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Isakson, and Mr. Kennedy) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating July 13, 2006, as National Summer Learning Day.

Whereas all students experience measurable loss of mathematics and reading skills when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer months; Whereas summer learning loss is greatest for low-income children, who often lack the academic enrichment opportunities available to their more affluent peers; Whereas summer learning loss contributes significantly to the gaps in achievement between low-income children, including minority children and children with limited English proficiency, and their more affluent peers; Whereas structured enrichment and education programs are proven to accelerate learning for students who participate in such programs for several weeks during the summer; Whereas in the BELL summer programs, students gain several months worth of reading and mathematics skills through summer enrichment, and in the Teach Baltimore Summer Academy, students enrolled for 2 summers gain 70 to 80 percent of a full grade level in reading, and thousands of students in similar programs experience measurable gains in academic achievement; Whereas Summer Learning Day is designed to highlight the need for more young people to be engaged in summer learning activities and to support local summer programs that benefit children, families, and communities; and Whereas a wide array of schools, public agencies, non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, museums, libraries, and summer camps in many States across the United States will celebrate the annual Summer Learning Day on July 13, 2006: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)designates July 13, 2006, as National Summer Learning Day to raise public awareness about the positive impact of summer learning opportunities on the development and educational success of our Nation's children; (2)urges the people of the United States— (A)to promote summer learning activities to send young people back to school ready to learn; (B)to support working parents and their children; and (C)to keep our Nation's children safe and healthy during the summer months; and (3)urges communities to celebrate, with appropriate ceremonies and activities, the importance of high-quality summer learning opportunities in the lives of young students and their families.