There’s been plenty of hand-wringing over pandemic-related learning loss — and rightfully so. With pre-COVID-19 standardized test scores showing the persistence of the achievement gap, the last thing Black children need is to get further behind academically.
Now a report, the “Education Recovery Scorecard,” released at the end of January reveals that, thanks to investments made in programs to catch kids up, some ground has been recovered, particularly thanks to $122 billion federal aid from the American Rescue Plan. The funds paid for more teachers, tutors, social workers and school counselors to help tackle learning loss and address student mental health.
But the report also shows when it comes to Black students and students from low-income backgrounds, even though gains have been made, kids are still behind.
What the Data Shows
Researchers from the Harvard Center for Education Policy Research and the Stanford Education Data Archive analyzed national education data and found that for all students, “between 2019 and 2022, the average student in the 30 states lost 0.53 grade levels in math achievement and 0.31 grade levels in reading.”
However the researchers wrote that in only one year, “between 2022 and 2023, students recovered approximately one-third of the original loss in math (0.17 grade levels) and one quarter of the loss in reading (0.08 grade levels).”
To put this into perspective, Stanford professor Sean Reardon told NPR’s All Things Considered, “A third or a quarter might not sound like a lot, but you have to realize the losses from 2019 to 2022 were historically large.”
What About Black Students?
The researchers found that in 20 states across the nation, between 2019 and 2022, Black and Hispanic students experienced a sharper decline in test scores compared to their white peers.
But in the year from 2022 to 2023, Black students rebounded academically at a higher rate than both white and Hispanic students. That said, the report’s authors noted “the White-Black gap was still slightly larger in 2023 than it was in 2019, particularly in math.”
Low-Income Students Are Worst Off
Students living in poverty did not make as much progress as students from more affluent backgrounds, however. Similar to other studies that have looked at achievement post pandemic, this latest report shows the gaps between high- and low-poverty districts — which was already worrisome — widened during the pandemic.
In every state except Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, poorer school districts have not recovered to their 2019 achievement levels, trailing further behind wealthier districts. In fact, the achievement gap between affluent and less affluent districts has widened in most states since before the pandemic.
“For example, students in Montgomery, Alabama are achieving half a grade level behind 2019 levels in math,” the report’s authors wrote.
What Can Be Done
Factors such as budget cuts, disproportionately low state funding to low income districts, the lack of mental health providers in school, and the fight for fair teacher pay, are barriers that historically and presently impact children’s academic success — and need addressing.
In addition, the researchers encouraged districts to address chronic absenteeism and “inform parents whose children remain behind grade level,” to sign up for summer learning this summer,” and advised them to expand summer learning programs in order to accommodate all students who sign up.
In addition, federal funding is set to expire in September 2024, and according to the U.S. Department of Education, roughly a third of the funds remained unspent as of fall 2023.
To that end, the researchers also “encourage districts to set aside federal dollars to pay for tutoring and after-school programs” to extend the recovery into next school year.
“Despite strong gains last year, most school districts are not on track to complete the recovery this spring,” said Thomas Kane, faculty director of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University and a co-author of the report. “District leaders should use these data to check their progress and rethink how they spend the remaining federal relief dollars.”