Tuesday 10 May 2022 08:44 PM Schools that switched to remote learning harmed children's development in math, ... trends now
Students in school districts that relied more heavily on remote learning during the pandemic fell behind in math at a far greater rate than students in states, like Texas and Florida, that stuck to in-person classes, according to a Harvard study.
Nationally, all students have seen a decrease in academic achievement because of the disruption from the pandemic, an issue that has been exacerbated by poverty and race.
But Prof. Thomas Kane, an economist and director of Harvard's Center for Education Policy Research, found that kids that were allowed to come to school faired far better than those who were forced to learn over video feed.
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The impact of remote learning hit kids in high poverty areas far harder that more financially secure students, according the Harvard study
Researchers found that states that limited remote learning saw far less learning loss than in states that were remote for a half a year or more
'We estimate that in high poverty schools students lost about half a year of learning if their schools were remote for half a year or more last year,' Kane told CNN's Jake Tapper. 'That's a large effect.'
The study looked at test scores for 2.1 million American students in 49 states.
Math scores suffered more than reading, according to the report.
'Interestingly, gaps in math achievement by race and school poverty did not widen in school districts in states such as Texas and Florida and elsewhere that remained largely in-person,' Kane told the Harvard Gazette. 'Where schools remained in-person, gaps did not widen. Where schools shifted to remote learning, gaps widened sharply.'
CNN's Jake Tapper pointed out the teachers' unions across the country held up the back-to-the classroom effort, vilifying any effort to curtail remote learning.
'The push to reopen schools is rooted in sexism, racism and misogyny,' Chicago Teachers Union, Local 1, tweeted in December 2020.
