The word summer brings to mind images of a relaxed, unstructured season – a time markedly different from other seasons of the year. In the United States we have a particularly entrenched notion that summer is different – a notion reflected in popular assumptions about summer as a “break” and reinforced by carefree depictions of summer that abound in popular culture. This commentary examines the issue of summer learning. We look at how children and youth spend their summers; the programmatic landscape of summer; the research behind the usefulness of summer learning opportunities; and some policy opportunities and challenges.