Despite some direct prodding – and funding – from the federal government, summer school programs are being cut back across the country. Alice Cooper may well approve, but where does this leave American parents?

The reason for the cutbacks is straightforward, according to The New York Times. The recession is forcing school boards to pull back severely. There's $100 billion in federal stimulus money available for schools, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan has been calling on school systems to expand their summer programs. Many districts say, however, that their budget woes are so serious they still need to drop summer school to preserve other programs.

One point that comes through in our research is that many parents and students depend on summer programs. When Public Agenda examined attitudes about out-of-school programs in our All Work and No Play survey for the Wallace Foundation, nearly 3 in 5 parents said summer was the hardest time to find something for their child to do. Nearly one in three expressed concerns about their child hanging out with the wrong crowd.

And while this concern cuts across all demographic lines, there's no question this is particularly tough for low-income and minority parents. Six in 10 low-income parents and almost the same number of minority parents say their kids "don't have enough good options" during the summer months. That's compared to a little more than four in 10 higher income and white parents.

Educators often argue that summer school boosts academic achievement because it keeps students from forgetting skills over vacation. Our research shows that argument resonates with low-income and minority parents. By a margin of nearly 2 to 1, they're more likely to worry that their child will fall behind on academics during the summer.