look at the last column, which totals up all the summer gains from first grade to fifth grade. The reading scores of the poor kids go up by .26 points. When it comes to reading skills, poor kids learn nothing when school is not in session. The reading scores of the rich kids, by contrast, go up by a whopping 52.49 points. Virtually
In Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers: The Story of Success," he discusses the disparity in reading skill development between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds during the summer months. The data reveals that while children from low-income families improve their reading scores by only 0.26 points when school is not in session, affluent children experience a significant increase of 52.49 points.
This stark contrast highlights an important issue: poor children do not benefit from educational opportunities during the summer, which hinders their overall learning and academic growth. In contrast, wealthier children have access to resources and experiences that allow them to continue improving their skills even when school is out, further widening the achievement gap.
