Beyond Learning Loss: Pandemic Impact on Student Experiences

• In Event: Navigating Accountability: Graduation Rates and Decision Making in High-Stakes Education

Abstract

The pandemic had an immediate and lasting impact on schools and students. At present, attempts to quantify that impact have largely been grounded in student standardized test scores. This study draws on longitudinal survey data from 48 schools serving approximately 25,000 students to understand how student experiences changed across three periods of time: before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and after the pandemic. Results across all schools suggest a return to “normal,” however we find that schools serving high proportions of low-income students experienced decreased levels of student engagement upon the return to in-person learning. We suggest leaders approach academic improvement in an incremented fashion, while attending to engagement, in order to avoid exacerbating “learning loss” and chronic absenteeism.

Authors

• Ashley J. Carey, Sacred Heart University

• Hsien-Yuan Hsu, University of Massachusetts - Lowell

• James Fargnoli, University of Massachusetts - Lowell

• Jack Schneider, University of Massachusetts - Amherst