Earl Martin Phalen

On average, students from low-income communities lose three months of academic gains during the summer because of limited summer learning opportunities. Summer Advantage USA reverses that trend by providing students with rigorous academic programs and enrichment opportunities such as art, music, field trips and guest speakers. Since its launch in 2009, Summer Advantage has helped more than 10,000 Indiana students gain an average of three months in reading and two months in math. The initiative was started by Fellow Earl Martin Phalen, a Harvard Law School graduate who co-founded Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL), through which he developed out-of-school programs in urban communities.