The effects of learning loss<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nMcKinsey & Company has released a few reports, such as COVID-19 and learning loss\u2014disparities grow and students need help<\/em><\/a> (December 2020), COVID-19 and student learning in the United States: The hurt could last a lifetime<\/em><\/a>(June 2020), and COVID-19 and education: The lingering effects of unfinished learnin<\/em>g<\/a> (July 2021) that encapsulate the widespread learning loss at the end of the 2020-2021 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n- Students on average were four months behind in reading and five months behind in math<\/li>
- Students in majority Black schools were left with six months of unfinished learning<\/li>
- Students in low-income schools were left with seven months of unfinished learning<\/li>
- High school dropout rates have increased<\/li>
- High school seniors were less like to pursue higher education<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nearpod.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/student-group.png\")
<\/figure>\n\u201cOur analysis shows that the impact of the pandemic on K\u201312 student learning was significant, <\/em>leaving students on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of the school year<\/em><\/strong>\u2026<\/em>The pandemic widened pre-existing opportunity and achievement gaps, hitting historically disadvantaged students hardest. <\/em><\/strong>In math, students in majority Black schools ended the year with six months of unfinished learning, students in low-income schools with seven.\u201d <\/em>(McKinsey<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nAn analysis from the Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a> further illustrated the discrepancy for Black, hispanic, and other \u201cvulnerable\u201d children already impacted by inequalities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n- The achievement gap that already existed widened as much as 21 percentage points<\/li>
- While reading scores dropped 7 percentage points, the gap between Black and hispanic students and whites and Asians grew 26 percentage points<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Innovate Public Schools released this infographic<\/a> clearly illustrating the disparity found by McKinsey in December 2020:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Infographic](\"https:\/\/nearpod.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/210401-Black-and-Latino-Students-Stand-to-Lose-Nearly-Double-the-Learning-1024x576.jpeg\")
<\/a>Source: Innovate Public Schools<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nOnce again, those with the least opportunities were impacted the most when it came to learning loss. And yet the losses aren\u2019t just academic. Kids lost out on routines, consistency, and community. The toll has been great not only academically but socially and emotionally. Mental health issues have increased at alarming rates, even prompting the Children’s Hospital Colorado<\/a> to declare a “State of Emergency” in youth mental health in May 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nLearn about COVID\u2019s lasting impact<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given these findings showing students behind in math and reading support, administrators should consider leveraging additional support through supplemental programs. Now more than ever, it\u2019s important to prioritize quality and reliable math resources for teachers and students. Nearpod Math<\/a> is a supplemental K-8 math program that provides the content, tools, and organization teachers need to maximize student learning and engagement in the math classroom. The program is designed to make math a positive learning experience by creating an active classroom learning environment where all voices are heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nExplore Nearpod Math<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe various perspectives of learning loss<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhile there is no argument that kids have lost out in the pandemic, many argue that the term, learning loss, itself is a misnomer, and that it positions the kids in having an uphill battle. They argue that the term insinuates that the kids are operating from a deficit perspective; that they have a lot to \u201cmake up for\u201d due to opportunities never experienced. Instead, some prefer the terms unfinished learning<\/em> or unfinished instruction<\/em>, interrupted learning<\/em>, learning lag<\/em>, or the more general COVID academic slide<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt is loss of a previously imagined trajectory leading to a previously imagined future. Learning is never lost, though it may not always be \u201cfound\u201d on pre-written tests of pre-specified knowledge or preexisting measures of pre-coronavirus notions of achievement<\/em>. <\/p>Rachael Gabriel, Washington Post<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nWhile subtle, the shift in languages takes the onus away from being a deficit-focused approach to help establish a healthier approach of meeting the kids where they are. No longer is the tone helpless or defeatist about no learning taking place or that previous learning was lost. There is less pressure to \u201cdouble down.\u201d Plus, it broadens the conversation to be about more than just academic measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLoss\u201d also implies a focus on quantity versus quality. Some argue that kids did<\/em> in fact learn a lot during the pandemic — but that the lessons were different than the traditional. For some, they learned the value of good neighbors, for others they learned a bit more patience and flexibility, and some learned some new tech-savvy skills.
With a glass-is-half-full approach, we can look at how online learning was enriching. Many kids did flourish with the choice, freedom, and flexibility of remote learning<\/a>. Such learning model options can bolster empowerment, fuel connections, inspire imaginations, and provide a sense of purpose for all ages. This sense of confidence and autonomy can be foundational for life\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nExplore our flexible learning guide<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nActionable steps to address learning loss<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nearpod.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Teachers-sharing-reports-1-1024x871.png\")
<\/figure>\nBut regardless of where you fall in this debate, we know that our kids need more support moving forward to re-embrace schooling and continue to blaze their own personal learning paths. The debate underscores the need to have more meaningful conversations about what constitutes learning or schooling (or even unlearning and unschooling). <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
So what are school leaders to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. First, steep yourself in the debate.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Reflect on your beliefs and where they come from. Read others\u2019 perspectives to understand the thinking on both sides so that you can empathize with the variety of opinions and design solutions to support all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Next, survey the stakeholders in your school community: staff, students, and their families.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are they most concerned about? What are they appreciative of? Consider a schoolwide survey and develop a task team to represent all stakeholders. Implore them to rely on both quantitative and<\/em> qualitative data to inform recommended next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Then, take a step back and look at your school\u2019s learning ecosystem.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nDo you have a dynamic curriculum? How recently has it been updated? How can you fold in some of the best of the edtech you relied on<\/a> during remote learning to make your schoolwide processes and practices more responsive and engaging?<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Next, determine a short-term and long-term plan of action<\/strong>.<\/h3>\n\n\n\nWhat should you do tomorrow versus next semester or next year? Organizations like ASCD<\/a> suggest returning to basics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n- Revisit instructional design strategies to increase engagement<\/li>
- Focus on small group instruction<\/li>
- Devote additional time to early literacy skills<\/li>
- Consider volunteer or additional reading support and math resources for staff<\/li>
- Commit to ongoing teacher-student mini conferences<\/li>
- Team teach across subjects<\/li>
- Vertically plan across grade levels<\/li>
- Leverage the best of edtech<\/a><\/li>
- Hold regular PTA or town hall type of convening<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
5. Lastly, yet most importantly in many ways, do take stock of your services to support kids\u2019 whole growth, including mental health.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
ASCD<\/a> reports that some researchers have coined \u201cthe thriving gap\u201d to speak to the effects of the pandemic and the need for academic and SEL support<\/a> moving forward. Make sure your action plan has ways to bolster current resources or partner with community-based organizations to increase resources for kids, staff members, and families. Without such whole-child support, no child will be set up for academic success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nLearn how to get staff excited about tech<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMoving forward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/nearpod.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/testimonials.png\")
<\/figure>\n\u201cBut well-being isn’t just a prelude to learning or a simple support for it. Well-being is an integral part of academic learning. If we treat well-being as being only about safety, security, and protection from harm, we’re ignoring the higher levels of Maslow’s hierarchy, where well-being and inspired teaching go hand in hand.\u201d<\/em><\/p> <\/em>ASCD<\/em><\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nNo one can anticipate such disasters as a pandemic occurring, but we can learn from reflecting on what worked the best in the moment and adjusting in the name of improving education as children\u2019s ongoing needs will continue to shift and change. Likewise, whatever the contributors are when it comes to learning loss (or which term you prefer), we must continue to find new methodology and practices to (re)engage kids in becoming fearless, lifelong learners. We need to provide all students with opportunities to challenge themselves, so that they become their own driving force for pursuing continued learning and reaching their personal goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learning loss has widened the achievement gap in math and ELA across the U.S.. Find out how Nearpod can support your teachers with engaging learning experiences that maximize outcomes for all learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Students on average were four months behind in reading and five months behind in math<\/li>
- Students in majority Black schools were left with six months of unfinished learning<\/li>
- Students in low-income schools were left with seven months of unfinished learning<\/li>
- High school dropout rates have increased<\/li>
- High school seniors were less like to pursue higher education<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n
\u201cOur analysis shows that the impact of the pandemic on K\u201312 student learning was significant, <\/em>leaving students on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of the school year<\/em><\/strong>\u2026<\/em>The pandemic widened pre-existing opportunity and achievement gaps, hitting historically disadvantaged students hardest. <\/em><\/strong>In math, students in majority Black schools ended the year with six months of unfinished learning, students in low-income schools with seven.\u201d <\/em>(McKinsey<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
An analysis from the Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a> further illustrated the discrepancy for Black, hispanic, and other \u201cvulnerable\u201d children already impacted by inequalities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The achievement gap that already existed widened as much as 21 percentage points<\/li>
- While reading scores dropped 7 percentage points, the gap between Black and hispanic students and whites and Asians grew 26 percentage points<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Innovate Public Schools released this infographic<\/a> clearly illustrating the disparity found by McKinsey in December 2020:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Source: Innovate Public Schools<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Once again, those with the least opportunities were impacted the most when it came to learning loss. And yet the losses aren\u2019t just academic. Kids lost out on routines, consistency, and community. The toll has been great not only academically but socially and emotionally. Mental health issues have increased at alarming rates, even prompting the Children’s Hospital Colorado<\/a> to declare a “State of Emergency” in youth mental health in May 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nLearn about COVID\u2019s lasting impact<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given these findings showing students behind in math and reading support, administrators should consider leveraging additional support through supplemental programs. Now more than ever, it\u2019s important to prioritize quality and reliable math resources for teachers and students. Nearpod Math<\/a> is a supplemental K-8 math program that provides the content, tools, and organization teachers need to maximize student learning and engagement in the math classroom. The program is designed to make math a positive learning experience by creating an active classroom learning environment where all voices are heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nExplore Nearpod Math<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe various perspectives of learning loss<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
While there is no argument that kids have lost out in the pandemic, many argue that the term, learning loss, itself is a misnomer, and that it positions the kids in having an uphill battle. They argue that the term insinuates that the kids are operating from a deficit perspective; that they have a lot to \u201cmake up for\u201d due to opportunities never experienced. Instead, some prefer the terms unfinished learning<\/em> or unfinished instruction<\/em>, interrupted learning<\/em>, learning lag<\/em>, or the more general COVID academic slide<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is loss of a previously imagined trajectory leading to a previously imagined future. Learning is never lost, though it may not always be \u201cfound\u201d on pre-written tests of pre-specified knowledge or preexisting measures of pre-coronavirus notions of achievement<\/em>. <\/p>Rachael Gabriel, Washington Post<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
While subtle, the shift in languages takes the onus away from being a deficit-focused approach to help establish a healthier approach of meeting the kids where they are. No longer is the tone helpless or defeatist about no learning taking place or that previous learning was lost. There is less pressure to \u201cdouble down.\u201d Plus, it broadens the conversation to be about more than just academic measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLoss\u201d also implies a focus on quantity versus quality. Some argue that kids did<\/em> in fact learn a lot during the pandemic — but that the lessons were different than the traditional. For some, they learned the value of good neighbors, for others they learned a bit more patience and flexibility, and some learned some new tech-savvy skills.
With a glass-is-half-full approach, we can look at how online learning was enriching. Many kids did flourish with the choice, freedom, and flexibility of remote learning<\/a>. Such learning model options can bolster empowerment, fuel connections, inspire imaginations, and provide a sense of purpose for all ages. This sense of confidence and autonomy can be foundational for life\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nExplore our flexible learning guide<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nActionable steps to address learning loss<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\nBut regardless of where you fall in this debate, we know that our kids need more support moving forward to re-embrace schooling and continue to blaze their own personal learning paths. The debate underscores the need to have more meaningful conversations about what constitutes learning or schooling (or even unlearning and unschooling). <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
So what are school leaders to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. First, steep yourself in the debate.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Reflect on your beliefs and where they come from. Read others\u2019 perspectives to understand the thinking on both sides so that you can empathize with the variety of opinions and design solutions to support all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Next, survey the stakeholders in your school community: staff, students, and their families.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are they most concerned about? What are they appreciative of? Consider a schoolwide survey and develop a task team to represent all stakeholders. Implore them to rely on both quantitative and<\/em> qualitative data to inform recommended next steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Then, take a step back and look at your school\u2019s learning ecosystem.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do you have a dynamic curriculum? How recently has it been updated? How can you fold in some of the best of the edtech you relied on<\/a> during remote learning to make your schoolwide processes and practices more responsive and engaging?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Next, determine a short-term and long-term plan of action<\/strong>.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What should you do tomorrow versus next semester or next year? Organizations like ASCD<\/a> suggest returning to basics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Revisit instructional design strategies to increase engagement<\/li>
- Focus on small group instruction<\/li>
- Devote additional time to early literacy skills<\/li>
- Consider volunteer or additional reading support and math resources for staff<\/li>
- Commit to ongoing teacher-student mini conferences<\/li>
- Team teach across subjects<\/li>
- Vertically plan across grade levels<\/li>
- Leverage the best of edtech<\/a><\/li>
- Hold regular PTA or town hall type of convening<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
5. Lastly, yet most importantly in many ways, do take stock of your services to support kids\u2019 whole growth, including mental health.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
ASCD<\/a> reports that some researchers have coined \u201cthe thriving gap\u201d to speak to the effects of the pandemic and the need for academic and SEL support<\/a> moving forward. Make sure your action plan has ways to bolster current resources or partner with community-based organizations to increase resources for kids, staff members, and families. Without such whole-child support, no child will be set up for academic success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nLearn how to get staff excited about tech<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nMoving forward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\u201cBut well-being isn’t just a prelude to learning or a simple support for it. Well-being is an integral part of academic learning. If we treat well-being as being only about safety, security, and protection from harm, we’re ignoring the higher levels of Maslow’s hierarchy, where well-being and inspired teaching go hand in hand.\u201d<\/em><\/p> <\/em>ASCD<\/em><\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
No one can anticipate such disasters as a pandemic occurring, but we can learn from reflecting on what worked the best in the moment and adjusting in the name of improving education as children\u2019s ongoing needs will continue to shift and change. Likewise, whatever the contributors are when it comes to learning loss (or which term you prefer), we must continue to find new methodology and practices to (re)engage kids in becoming fearless, lifelong learners. We need to provide all students with opportunities to challenge themselves, so that they become their own driving force for pursuing continued learning and reaching their personal goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learning loss has widened the achievement gap in math and ELA across the U.S.. Find out how Nearpod can support your teachers with engaging learning experiences that maximize outcomes for all learners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Hold regular PTA or town hall type of convening<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n