Effects of COVID-19 on Elementary Student Achievement and the Experience of Teachers: An Empirical Analysis

• In Event: Inequities of Distance Learning Pre- and Post-COVID

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic produced widespread disruption to schooling, impacting 90% of the world’s students and moving entire school systems to remote and online learning. Most attempts to predict the outcomes of these unprecedented changes draw on studies of localised school closures following natural disasters and other crises. This paper compares student achievement (including by SES) and student and teacher survey data from the 2019 and 2020 Australian school years to describe the actual effects of COVID-19 following the current system-wide disruption. Teachers’ and school leaders’ experiences, documented through interviews conducted in late-2020, supplement the quantitative data. Given limited system-level data internationally, due to the timing of the pandemic, this study offers unique insight based on rigorous evidence.

Authors

• Jennifer M. Gore, The University of Newcastle

• Jess Harris, University of Newcastle

• Leanne Fray, The University of Newcastle

• Andrew Miller, The University of Newcastle

• Wendy Taggart, The University of Newcastle