87. Expand access to summer bridge programs to ease the transition to college and support postsecondary success.
Here’s what the federal government can do:
- The U.S. Department of Education should offer guidance and technical assistance to schools and local education agencies (LEAs) on creating high-quality summer bridge programs.
Here’s what state government can do:
- State legislatures should appropriate funding for summer bridge programs that support the academic and social transition to college.
- State systems should promote stronger partnerships between universities and P-12 systems to build pre-college programs.
Here’s what institutional leaders can do:
- P-12 systems should build pre-college, college prep, and academic support programs to support learners, particularly students of color and students who have been historically underrepresented.
Summer bridge programs are designed to ease the transition to college and support postsecondary success by providing students with academic and social resources needed to succeed in the college environment.[i] “Summer melt,” a term described by the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), is “the phenomenon of college-intending students who have applied to, been accepted by, and made a deposit to a college or university but fail to matriculate to that college (or any other) in the fall following their high school graduation.” Every year, an estimated 10-40 percent of high school students, disproportionately students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, and first-generation students, fall through the cracks at this point.[ii] High-quality summer bridge programs can help to ensure that students start their college journeys ready for success.
[i]Summer bridge programs. IES What Works Clearinghouse. July, 2016. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Intervention/824.
[ii] Ash, Ainsley. “Stopping Summer Melt Starts in the Spring.” National College Attainment Network. April 5, 2021. https://www.ncan.org/news/559403/Stopping-Summer-Melt-Starts-in-the-Spring.htm.