It’s been about five years since the Covid-19 pandemic turned the entire world upside down and turned every home with children into a virtual classroom. At the time, it was the only viable solution to a monumental problem.
A real life example of something’s better than nothing.
Students have since returned to a traditional classroom setting, and in spite of spending $190 billion in an attempt to bridge the gap and provide some relief to our struggling education system, our schools have not rebounded. It is noteworthy though that according to an article on EducationRecoveryScoreboard.org, studies have shown those from higher income areas are four times more likely to recover from learning loss in the areas of reading and math than students from lower income areas.
The effects of learning loss, are also compounded by chronic absenteeism, students skipping classes, and a lack of motivation among students. With that in mind, it’s not surprising that not one state has scored above pre-pandemic levels to date. In fact, today’s students are at least half a grade level behind in reading and math.
With regard to reading one educator I talked to for this story said, “Many elementary students do not use phonics [the ability to sound out words] or have the ability to break words apart, manipulate them, and put them back together in different ways. Many fail to recognize the same sound in a text. That makes it difficult to analyze a text to find its deeper meaning, or to write an original piece, or to find alternative solutions to the one presented in the story.”
What can be done to reduce these adverse effects?
The first step is to encourage parent and student involvement to get them fully invested in their education.
Washington DC has ranked number 1 in their post-pandemic recovery efforts for the past two years, according to CBS News, and have found success using these proven methods:
- Make class sizes smaller.
- Offer students opportunities for remediation during the school day.
- Deliver high impact tutoring. (It’s like having a private tutor during school hours, and it’s free to students.)
- Provide additional teacher training, giving a $1,000 stipend to those who completed specific courses in support of learning loss recovery efforts.
One school administrator from the same news article stated, “Giving students additional support in literacy and math has helped to bring down truancy, as students begin to see their own progress that was encouraging to them.”
In addition to these suggestions we must find a way for ALL students to have access to low or no cost meals. It’s hard to learn ANYTHING if you’re hungry!
Children also need a reliable connection to the internet and more availability of Summer Learning Programs.
Of course none of these things are free, and with pandemic relief money gone, it is vital for states and districts continue to provide the funds necessary to keep public school programs that are working in place to combat learning loss and to discard the ones that aren’t working.
Title 1 funding can help with this (it makes up approximately 14 percent of school budgets here in Tennessee), but the amount each school receives is determined by a number of factors such as the number of students enrolled.
In an attempt to accelerate learning, nine states have legislation banning the use of cell phones in schools and 16 others have it in the works or are considering it.
In doing the research for this story, I found learning loss isn’t the only major issue affecting a students ability to learn in the classroom. They must also bounce back from the disruption to their social and emotional development. The educator I talked to put it this way, “Children don’t know how to process problem solving even little problems for themselves. They don’t know how to interact with their peers appropriately, when more difficult problems arise, they don’t persevere, they just give up.”
It is imperative that this be addressed as well. Why? Failing to do so can leave our children unprepared to deal with the problems that come up in day to day life in the future, much like allowing learning loss to continue can affect their job prospects in the future.