| During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools around the world were closed for long periods, affecting over one billion children. In the U.S., schools were closed or partially closed for nearly two years (667 days) between January 2020 and December 2021. The impact on education has been severe across all countries, including wealthier nations like the U.S., with learning losses ranging from one-third to half a year’s worth of learning. Several studies have reported these learning losses, and it’s estimated that this generation of students could face financial losses totaling in the trillions of dollars due to lower educational achievement. The U.S. has been hit particularly hard by this learning crisis, especially in math and science among students in grades 4 and 8. According to recent data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the U.S. saw a decline in student performance in both subjects, with math scores dropping by 0.36 standard deviations (SD) and science scores by 0.16 SD, above the global average decline. This means U.S. students performed significantly worse than expected, based on previous trends. Girls have been more affected than boys. In mathematics, girls lost around 0.44 SD, compared to 0.32 SD for boys. In science, girls lost 0.20 SD, while boys lost 0.11 SD. This is especially concerning because girls were making more progress before the pandemic in both subjects. The learning loss was also more significant for students who speak a different language at home compared to the language of instruction, with losses of 0.46 SD in math and 0.24 SD in science. The most affected students were those with the lowest achievement levels. Among the lowest-achieving students, both boys and girls experienced greater learning losses than higher-achieving students. For instance, in math, the gap between students in the 5th and 95th percentiles of achievement was around 0.2 SD, with similar results in science. These findings indicate that the U.S. has experienced a learning crisis greater than the global average, and the losses could have long-term impacts on students’ futures, particularly on their earnings and career opportunities. To address these issues, targeted recovery strategies are urgently needed. These strategies should focus on providing additional support to the most vulnerable groups, including low-performing students, girls, linguistic minorities, and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. While the drop in math scores can largely be attributed to the pandemic and related school closures, the decline in science scores appears to have started before the pandemic, indicating that the challenges in U.S. education are not entirely new. Addressing these educational challenges will require comprehensive recovery plans that consider the varying needs of students based on their gender, home language, and performance levels. In summary, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on student learning in the U.S., particularly in math and science. The losses in the U.S. exceed the global average, and this learning crisis could have long-lasting effects on students’ futures and the economy. Immediate action is needed to recover lost learning, particularly for the most vulnerable students, to ensure that these gaps do not continue to widen over time. (See full paper at: https://edre.uark.edu/_resources/pdf/edrewp2025-01.pdf This originally appeared in: https://harryapatrinos.substack.com/p/the-learning-crisis-in-the-united) |
Education, economics and public policy
Harry Anthony Patrinos
Education, economics and public policy 