CSMS Magazine
As the pandemic continues to disturb life as we knew it before Covid-19, education officials have to come up with new ways to make learning still a productive endeavor. No where the impact feels the greatest is among struggling families. This article that follows explains how the pandemic has widened the academic achievement gap.
The evaluation shows that the impact of the pandemic on K–12 student learning was significant, leaving students on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of the school year. The pandemic widened preexisting opportunity and achievement gaps, hitting historically disadvantaged students hardest.
In math, students in majority Black schools ended the year with six months of unfinished learning, students in low-income schools with seven. High schoolers have become more likely to drop out of school, and high school seniors, especially those from low-income families, are less likely to go on to postsecondary education. And the crisis had an impact on not just academics but also the broader health and well-being of students, with more than thirty-five percent of parents very or extremely concerned about their children’s mental health.
According to a research article from the World Economic Forum, for those who do have access to the right technology, there is evidence that learning online can be more effective in several ways. Some research shows that on average, students retain 25-60% more material when learning online compared to only 8-10% in a classroom. (Forum, 2020) The effectiveness of online learning varies amongst age groups.
The consensus on children, especially younger ones, is that a structured environment is required, because kids are more easily distracted. In 2020, the pandemic pushed millions of college students around the world into virtual learning. As the new academic year began, many colleges in America were poised to bring students back to campus, but a large amount of uncertainty remained. Some institutions will undoubtedly continue to offer online or hybrid classes, even as in-person instruction resumes.
Note: This article was retrieved form the World Economic Forum website. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-education-global-covid19-online-digital-learning/
Follow CSMS Magazine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/csmsmagazine
Twitter: www.twitter.com/csmsmaga
