Recovering from Learning Loss After A Year of COVID-19

When it rains, it pours. The COVID-19 pandemic, by forcing students to learn remotely, exposed the digital divide in the United States, highlighting just how many families, students and communities did not have access to computers, internet or even a quiet environment to tune into classes. And we all are suffering from Zoom fatigue, increased workloads and a steep decline in mental health.

Despite a slow but steady return to normal life in the United States, students and families are facing another hurdle: learning loss. Late in 2020, McKinsey analysts predicted that “the cumulative learning loss could be substantial, especially in mathematics—with students on average likely to lose five to nine months of learning by the end of this school year.”

What is more troubling are the students and families that have just disappeared. Over 90% of students that have dropped out are thought to be from low-income communities or communities of color. According to the National Education Association, an estimated three million vulnerable students — who are homeless, in foster care, have disabilities or are learning English — appear to not be in school at all, furthering the divide in access to a fundamental education. In some communities, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, pods of teachers have taken to canvassing neighborhoods, trying to reach these lost children and families.

The most common response to the dearth in learning this year has been to add load up teachers with more instruction days. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the United States, is currently considering a summer semester to help reach children that have fallen behind. One other option schools are considering is starting the fall semester early, or even lengthening the school days to make class periods longer. New York has already announced that it will no longer offer snow days; instead, classes will be moved online during inclement weather. Predictably, students aren’t exactly thrilled.

As much as the idea of mandatory summer school fills families and educators with dread, there are limited options for how else to address learning loss. And all of these potential policies run into the same problem—more time in the classroom doesn’t necessarily mean better educational outcomes.

Fixing a Broken System

For one, students returning to in-person learning will need a readjustment period. And that’s not even factoring in the percentage of students who don’t want to return to in-person learning at all. Students with social anxiety tended to prefer distance learning, and their newfound comfort was reflected via improved academic performance, prompting school districts across the country to open hybrid online-and in person public schools.

The numbers tell a stark story: according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ELA (English Language Arts) students have either increased or maintained their proficiency in the subject. However English-language learners and low-income students, particularly in fifth and tenth grades, saw a close to 25% decrease in their ability to meet one of the multiple testing standards (either Language or Math and Science).

What is more, the U.S. educational system was already broken, and the pandemic simply exacerbated those deficits in learning. Ten years ago, the United States switched to the Common Core model to emphasize critical thinking over rote memorization, but this new system hasn’t performed as promised. Income levels still remain the most reliable predictor of a school district’s academic performance, largely because the issues underfunded schools face—unsafe learning environments—make concentration and cognition more difficult. According to a 2011 EPA study with Harvard University, nearly half of U.S. public schools contain “asbestos, lead paint, unsafe drinking water, and insufficient heating and cooling.”

Extra hours won’t matter if these are the conditions our students and teachers have to work with. Combatting learning loss needs to address the failings of U.S. public education holistically—and that means infrastructure and pedagogy, not just time.

Zoom Is Here to Stay — At Least Partially

Despite its drawbacks, elements of distance learning may be part of our education infrastructure going forward. One benefit of the format has been helping high school graduates adjust to the time management required by college. In high school, projects have built-in time limits according to class periods; college is often the first time students have to manage their own progress toward tasks. Now, after a year of distance learning, an entire generation has gained self-awareness and an ability to better own their education.

Furthermore, the Fordham Institute reports that many schools have found unique ways to capitalize on this moment and reimagine the classroom. Notable examples include schools like Teaching Matters‘ piloted digital resources (including customizable interactive projects for K-2 students), which they actually expanded to reach all K-8 students across the district. These resources are now being used by 55,000 teachers and have been adopted by school districts nationally. Aurum Preparatory Academy in Oakland, California, created a tracker for each student and is recording whether students have been attending online classes, capturing notes from phone calls with each student, figuring out who has acute SEL needs and creatively figuring out how to respond to each student’s and family’s needs.

The benefits of remote learning are even more numerous when it comes to tertiary education. The normalization of remote work and study means that students can complete volunteer opportunities or internships online while studying in person, or attend evening online classes while holding down a 9-to-5 job. Not only will this help non-traditional and neurodivergent students, but it also bodes well for increasing the accessibility and affordability of programs. A prime example is the free online tutoring offered by schoolhouse.world, under the well-known nonprofit Khan Academy.

The benefits of remote learning are even more numerous when it comes to tertiary education.

Think of how many language classes would be improved with the option to chat with native speakers. Think of how many STEM classes could benefit from professional-level software or guest lectures. Think of how many students hesitate to accept an offer from their first-choice college because their scholarship only covers tuition, not room and board.

Rather than resorting to summer school or longer class periods, our educational system can leverage the best of distance learning as a supplement to traditional classrooms. For instance, students with chronic illnesses need not risk their health to attend classes and can tune in or catch up virtually. Visual learners can be supplied with graphics to supplement lectures. With the right support, online learning can help achieve what we always hoped the internet would lead to: bridging inequalities, democratizing knowledge, and creating a freer exchange of ideas.

The Future of Education

Of course, “before we can contemplate the arrival of some futuristic, high-tech utopia, millions of students have to be supported to catch up academically and process trauma, something that educators say will take several years at least,” says Marcella Bombardieri, education reporter for POLITICO and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. According to CDC data, from March to October of 2020, the proportion of emergency-room visits related to mental health increased by 24 percent for children aged 5-11 and by 31 percent among adolescents aged 12-17, compared to the same period the previous year.

In short, learning loss demands an immediate response, but the recovery itself will be slow-going. We cannot demand an immediate return on investment — that line of thinking is the very reason our educational system has fallen into neglect after cutting too many corners. Progress might initially look like no change at all, but we have to trust that better learning environments and more support for teachers will produce graduating classes better-equipped to tackle today’s challenges, and to do so in tandem with new and innovative digital tools.

Seth Jacobson is the founder and principal of JCI Worldwide, a Los Angeles-based communications and research firm. He spent several years in the Carter and Clinton administrations in positions focused on economic development, foreign policy, and media relations. He is a frequent lecturer on policy and public affairs at Pepperdine University and UCLA.