[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 14398]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 529--DESIGNATING JULY 13, 2006, AS ``NATIONAL SUMMER 
                             LEARNING DAY''

  Mr. OBAMA (for himself, Mr. DeMint, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Isakson, and 
Mr. Kennedy) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 529

       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
       Resolved, 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.

                          ____________________