From the report: "This report captures how state education agencies responded, drawing on an analysis of American Rescue Plan spending plans from the 50 states and Washington, D.C., as well as interviews with knowledgeable education officials from 37 states. 

States encountered a number of challenges in their new summer learning roles. One was finding ways to overcome historical perceptions of summer learning as punitive or solely a vehicle for credit recovery. Another was that, in some cases, state authority to set priorities for use of the federal funds was limited by state law.

The report also identifies four strategies that states can use to sustain and strengthen their role in summer learning going forward. These are: 1) define (or refine) a vision for summer learning that is both meaningful and feasible; 2) understand and use the four policy levers (funding, partnering, and setting implementation and evaluation priorities); 3) start planning for summer learning no later than January of the same year; and 4) develop a communications strategy to make sure districts and families understand the benefits of summer learning."