Teachers often start a new school year working extremely hard to reteach last year's content, particularly for their lower income students. According to "Making Summer Count," a report commissioned by The Wallace Foundation and written by researchers at Rand, rigorous studies of voluntary summer programs, mandatory summer programs, and programs that encourage students to read at home in the summer have all found positive effects on student achievement. The combined evidence from these studies suggests that all these types of summer learning programs can mitigate learning losses and even lead to achievement gains. The follow-up report from Rand, "Getting to Work on Summer Learning," offers some specific guidance to school district leaders interested in launching or improving summer learning programs. Many municipalities have recognized the benefits of effective summer learning programs and followed many of the recommendations presented in this article. Schools can create seamless links between the traditional academic year and the summer learning experience. The goal should be that students enjoy a connected learning experience that spans the entire year!