Acknowledging + Addressing Learning Loss
Studies into the potential, and now increasingly known, effects of pandemic-related disruptions to education began as early as school lockdowns themselves. Research generated thus far is stark, if not grim. In its December 2020 report, “COVID-19 and Learning Loss: Disparities Grow and Students Need Help,” McKinsey + Company assert that the pandemic “upended. . . education system[s], forcing schools to adopt strategies without certainty about the results.” Sudden, untested interruptions to ‘normal’ learning infrastructure ruptured knowledge and skills acquisition for students of all ages; as school lockdowns wore on, invaluable opportunities for the meaningful intake of information and practical application of new skills in reliable, helpful, risk-free settings were at best compromised, and at worst, lost. McKinsey’s report goes on to advocate for expedited academic recovery planning ahead of an anticipated return to educational ‘normalcy’:
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[S]chool systems need to create a step change in student learning if we are to catch up on what has been lost through this pandemic. Systems can start now to create acceleration plans using evidence-based strategies that support students with more time and more dedicated attention, all founded on exposing students to grade-level learning.
In June 2021, the Ontario Science Table published findings similar to those of McKinsey’s, along with telling statistics. Acknowledging that data gaps with respect to the impact of the pandemic on Ontario’s students will remain for some time, it contends that
existing information and analysis can inform strategies to minimize further pandemic disruptions to children’s education and development. Identifying or tracking areas where students are facing the greatest challenges in the wake of COVID-19 and implementing systematic supports to address pandemic-associated educational harms are critical to minimizing the overall impact and supporting recovery.
The Science Table further declares “a need for explicit education recovery strategies” that should include “active measures to ensure appropriate universal responses (overall curriculum adaptations, instruction, and student supports).”
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Data collected to date demonstrates that students, teachers, and parents alike are appreciatively concerned about the educational fallout from COVID-19. While the collection and interpretation of quantitative data on pandemic-initiated or pandemic-exacerbated learning gaps are still in their nascent stages, the Science Table reports that “a Toronto District School Board survey in February 2021 found that
. . .66% [of students] were worried that they would fall behind because of COVID-19, and 53% of parents shared that concern. . .A Canadian survey of 9,500 educators conducted in spring 2021 found that 55% of elementary and secondary teachers reported fewer students were meeting learning objectives compared to other years, 75% said they were behind schedule in covering curriculum, and 70% were worried that some students will not catch up academically.
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This clearly demonstrates that concerns regarding pandemic-related learning loss are universal, and that steps, both formal and informal, must be taken to mitigate the issue. As McKinsey notes, "Now is the time. . . to prepare post-pandemic strategies that help students to meet their full potential."
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