The 5 Book Dive is an Austin ISD summer reading program created in 2016. The purpose of the program is to encourage all students to read at least five self-selected books over the summer. Summer is a great time for students to relax with a book (or magazine, or comic, or whatever) and experience the pleasure of reading just for fun! And research has shown that reading just five books can protect students from a drop in reading levels known as the "summer slide", which disproportionately affects lower-income students (Alexander, Entwisle, & Olson, 2007; Kim, 2004).

Why is this important?

The effects of the summer slide are cumulative, and can have serious consequences. As much as 85% of the reading achievement gap between lower-income students and their middle- and upper-income peers can be attributed to the summer slide (Allington & McGill-Frasen, 2009). Watch the short video below for a graphic illustration of how these effects add up over time, and then scroll down to see the research.

<---Watch in English  ---  Watch in Spanish---> 

10 Critical Facts about Summer Reading from Scholastic. 

Do Kids Really Have 'Summer Learning Loss'? Reading just four or five books can ward off setbacks in language skills, Annie Murphy Paul, Time, July 2013. 

"The Summer Slide and the Solution" in Make Every Student Count (Research Compendium), Scholastic Family and Community and Engagement, 2013, pages 59-65. 

Summer Reading and the Ethnic Achievement Gap, Jimmy Kim, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 2004. 

Why Summer Matters in the Rich/Poor Achievement Gap, Richard Allington and Anne McGill-Frazen, August 2009. 

Lasting Consequences of the Summer Reading Gap, Karl Alexander, Doris Entwisle and Linda Olson, American Sociological Review, April 2007. 

Summer Reading and the Rich/Poor Achievement Gap: An Educator Responds to Questions (Interview with Richard Allington), Alicia Eames, School Library Journal Online, June 2013.