Has your child suffered learning loss due to the pandemic? Here are 9 strategies to help get them back on track.
With headlines like “The Pandemic Erased two decades of Progress in Reading and Math” by
the New York Times and “Half of nation’s students fell behind a year during COVID-19
pandemic. How do we recover?” by USA Today, some parents may be panicking and wondering
if their child will ever recover from pandemic learning loss.
Emerging Federal Education department statistics and data are frightening. Recently revealed
scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam (NAEP) or Nation’s Report
Card show stark declines in both reading and math. Losing one point on this test roughly
translates to about three weeks of learning, meaning a student who lost 12 points would need
36 weeks or entire school year to catch up – and would still be behind more advanced peers.
And of course students with disabilities fared even worse due to lack of special education
services during remote learning.
Learning loss due to Covid-19 could produce other long term ramifications. Research has found
that learning loss due to COVID could impact kids’ future earning potential by up to $40,000
over their lifetime or $17 trillion in lifetime earnings for the whole generation.
The federal government is trying address the problem through funding.
According to U.S. News and World Report, “The federal government provided $190 billion
through three tranches of emergency aid in an effort to help the U.S. public school system
recover from the coronavirus pandemic. But K-12 funding provided through the American
Rescue Plan – the most recent aid package – only requires districts to spend 20% on academic
recovery.” And diving even deeper into the government funding, Brookings reported that
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) investments from the American
Rescue Plan provided nearly $200 billion to public schools to spend on COVID-19-related
needs. Of that sum, $22 billion is dedicated specifically to addressing learning loss using
“evidence-based interventions.”
And of course none of these statistics begins to quantify the mental health crisis that is raging in
children. Incidences of anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges are all up for all
ages and socioeconomic backgrounds, according to the CDC.
What is a parent to do? Sitting back and believing everything will work out is not an option.
Rather, there are strategies and interventions parents can turn to to help their child recover and
come out of the pandemic better than before. More resilient. More confident. And more self-
aware of their strengths and challenges.
Missed learning or learning loss?
There is a battle of semantics taking place in education circles. On one side you have the
“missed learning” group, which believes that students simply missed instruction during the
pandemic, especially while in remote instruction. On the other side you have the “learning loss”
group, which posits that students lost instruction much like during the summer break when
students experience a regression in skills. Honestly, it does not matter which side is correct
because the results are the same… students are behind!
Accelerated learning vs remediate
Another debate, way more important than what we label the academic mess we are in, is the
approach that educators ought to take. One camp believes schools and teachers should push
forward with the curriculum and engage in “accelerated learning.” They essentially believe
students should continue with their current grade level instruction and can be supported in a
variety of ways to achieve success.
The other camp believes remediation must take place in order to create the foundations
students will need to succeed in more advanced classes. They know students need the
instruction they missed. Think math. Math is the ultimate “building block” subject, where prior
learning is required in order to move up the ladder to more challenging concepts.
How to help your child
Now that the “doom and gloom” is covered, what can a parent do to help their child?
First and foremost, stressed out students cannot learn to the best of their capacity. Post-Katrina
studies reveal the importance of building and maintaining supportive relationships with students
(children) following disasters. The connection between children feeling safe, seen, and
connected to the adults in their lives and academic success has been long studied as a
protective factor. Ensure their mental health is healthy.
Ask your child’s teacher exactly how they are doing in class. How did they score on state tests?
How are they performing on class assessments? What resources can the teacher share to help
you support your child? Armed with information is the best way to begin helping your child.
Good grades do not necessarily equate to being on grade level due to the practice of grade
inflation. Some schools or teachers may extend too much grace for late assignments. Others
may allow extra credit projects to boost grades. While still others may (overly) reward
participation. Just because your child has straight A’s does not mean he is on grade level.
Consider high dosage tutoring, which is defined as two to three times per week for a minimum
of 30 minutes per session. It is recommended that you select a Learning Center that has highly
skilled Learning Specialists trained to provide targeted interventions.
Know your child’s reading level and encourage her to read challenging books, not just reread
favorite or too easy ones. States publish grade level book recommendations such as Florida’s
Sunshine State reading list.
Help your child adopt a growth mindset. According to Positive Psychology , children with a
growth mindset outperform those with a fixed mindset and are more likely to bounce back from
failures. One of the keys to developing this is for parents to model a growth mindset. Share
struggles you have had and the strategies you used to overcome the problem. A critical aspect
to promoting a growth mindset is praising effort over ability or intelligence.
Ask your child to teach you what they learned in school today. As all of our lives have become
busier and more hectic, it is important that parents stay well-informed about what their child is
doing in school each day. A wonderful way to do this is to ask your child to teach you something
he learned in school today. This goes beyond a simple conversation. Sit and invest in your child
and let them know you truly want to learn the skill they are presenting.
Create and insist on a routine. Extra curricular activities are great, but insist your child maintain
a routine. Cook healthy meals, ensure there is a homework time, play time, and a consistent
sleep time. Routines provide structure and allow children to thrive, knowing what the
expectations are.
Be patient.. this will take time!
Final Thoughts
Just about every student missed learning – or suffered learning loss – during the pandemic. The
recent flurry of statistics coming out backs this up. However, there are actionable steps parents
can take to help guide their child back to grade level and to a place where they love school
again. By determining how a child is currently performing in school, becoming more active in
your child’s day to day schooling, and ensuring your child’s metal health is healthy, parents will
put their kids in the best position to succeed.
If you think your child is has suffered Pandemic Learning Loss and are concerned about their
progress, please contact Jennifer Disch at Engage the Brain to discuss how a Learning
Specialist may be able to help.