In this interview, Dr. Beth Tarasawa and Chris Minnich (NWEA) and Dr. Jesus Jara (Superintendent, Clark County School District), discuss new research projections on potential learning loss from  COVID-19 closures and the ongoing efforts to support students during this pandemic.

While COVID-19 learning interruptions are unprecedented in modern times, existing research on the impacts of missing school (due to absenteeism, regular summer breaks, and school closures) on learning can inform projections of potential learning loss due to the pandemic. In this study, we produce a series of projections of COVID-19-related learning loss and its potential effect on test scores in the 2020-21 school year based on estimates from prior literature and analyses of typical summer learning patterns of five million students.

What can educators do right now to address the potential learning shortfall from COVID-19 school closures in the fall and help students catch up? Here are seven recommendations.

This CPRE Research Minutes podcast explores findings from polls by The Education Trust on parents’ perceptions and concerns about their children’s learning during the COVID-19 crisis, projections by NWEA researchers on potential academic impacts of these unprecedented school closures, and potential strategies to mitigate learning loss and improve equity.

In this segment on NPR’s Morning Edition, teachers describe the challenges their students face learning from home and NWEA’s Megan Kuhfeld shares projections of potential academic impacts for students of COVID-19 school disruptions.

In this Brookings Brown Center Chalkboard blog, James Soland shares new research projections on potential impacts of COVID-19 school closures on student achievement, how wide the range in achievement might be between high and  low-performing students, and what this may mean for educators.

The abrupt switch to remote learning wiped out academic gains for many students in America, and widened racial and economic gaps. Catching up in the fall won’t be easy.