Do Summer Time-Use Gaps Vary by Socioeconomic Status?

Several scholars have suggested that differential rates of summer learning loss contribute to the persistence of achievement gaps between students of different socioeconomic backgrounds. To better understand the possible determinants of summer learning loss, a test for summer-specific differences by socioeconomic status (SES) in children’s time spent in activities related to cognitive development and parental time spent interacting with children is conducted using data from two time-diary surveys: the Activity Pattern Survey of California Children and the American Time Use Study. Tobit-model estimates provide evidence of statistically and practically significant summer-SES time-use gaps, most notably in children’s television viewing.