With the increasing disparity in educational outcomes among economically and racially different groups of students, summer school has received attention from school reformers as a means to close the achievement gap. Given the interest in this topic by educators, researchers, and policymakers, there is little research on the impact of summer school programs for economically disadvantaged students in middle schools. This study assessed the perception of middle school leaders who supervise summer school with economically disadvantaged students (EDS) in the Bronx on the efficacy of these summer programs. Principals were queried about the vision, design, organization, and recruitment of staff. They were also queried about administrative and instructional practices that support economically disadvantaged students. This study found that the majority of Bronx principals were inexperienced and lacked the skills and district/central support to design a nontraditional summer school based on the few studies that affirm the efficacy of summer school found in the professional literature. The findings resulted in a manual that provides school leaders who work with economically disadvantaged students the tools to design a nontraditional summer school that addresses summer learning loss and has the potential to close the achievement gap. The significance of this research is that school leaders can lead an effective summer school that lessens summer learning loss for economically disadvantaged students. The manual that was developed facilitates the design of a nontraditional summer school that is cost-effective, scalable, and provides students with a seamless transition between school-year experiences and the comprehensive summer school program for all students, especially economically disadvantaged students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]