Low-income students lag far behind their counterparts and this disparity can reduce educational prospects as well as future possibilities for adulthood. If left unaddressed, this disparity may hinder educational performance and further limit adult life opportunities for these individuals.
COVID forced school districts to deal with long closures, staff shortages, increased rates of absenteeism and quarantines as well as fluctuating case counts – disruptions which continue to have lasting impacts on today’s education system.
Education
Students are failing to make gains at the rate they did prior to the pandemic, leaving academic gaps open across many groups of children. According to new data from assessment provider NWEA, all races and socioeconomic backgrounds of students are behind where they were before the pandemic started.
NWEA researchers analyzed data from 6.7 million public school students in grades 3-8 who completed MAP Growth reading and math assessments last year, using estimates provided by schools. On average, NWEA estimates that these students require approximately four and half months of additional reading instruction before returning to pre-pandemic levels; four additional months would likely be required for math instruction as well.
Many months of unfinished learning have been amassed by students at high-poverty schools or predominantly black or white districts, making their efforts all the more crucial for recovery efforts to focus on those most in need of assistance. States and districts must use student data from within their own student populations to identify which kids are falling further behind and target recovery efforts accordingly; furthermore, ongoing resources must also be made available in order to create sustainable plans over time.
Health
COVID-19 mandated remote learning for millions of children across California – nearly six million youth alone. It also had a detrimental impact on students from communities of color and with lower incomes – disrupting academic progress while widening existing achievement gaps.
Chronic absenteeism nearly doubled during the pandemic, and student test scores suffered as a result. On average, students who missed classes fell five months behind in math and four months behind in reading; disadvantage students were particularly hard hit, falling an additional six months behind on average.
This pandemic also caused widespread disruptions to health care services, leading to an accelerated death rate due to other causes. Violent responses against individuals suspected of carrying the virus deprive them of essential health services that contribute to its spread; furthermore, an infodemic of misinformation increased fears and anxieties over contagion leading to discriminatory acts against health care workers, patients, families, as well as an inability for systems to manage surges in demand for services.
Business
COVID-19 has brought dramatic transformation to how companies conduct business, as evidenced by a McKinsey survey conducted among executives from all around the globe. Results reveal that most firms across all sectors and regions have increased digitization efforts in customer and supply-chain interactions and internal operations, and have also made significant strides toward adopting cloud solutions for customer and supply-chain interactions and operations.
However, this pandemic has also served to increase disparities among students from traditionally vulnerable socioeconomic backgrounds and those from more privileged ones. Globally speaking, students are approximately eight months behind where they would have been were it not for this pandemic.
Regaining lost ground will require catch-up education, efforts to promote student well-being and measures that keep learners engaged with learning, according to the bank. New leadership approaches may also be needed. Our talent experts Bryan Hancock and Bill Schaninger discuss ways leaders can support employees who must balance work with family in unprecedented ways on this week’s McKinsey Talks Talent podcast.
Community
Many of the severe impacts experienced during the initial year of COVID-19 pandemic have begun to dissipate as quarantine is lifted, mobility restrictions relax and economies recover – however communities continue to grapple with significant impacts.
Educationally, student learning and academic growth has seen a severe decrease. Meanwhile, their social and emotional development was compromised due to increasing isolation, reduced interactions with peers, increased screen time, anxiety and depression.
Districts spent millions in academic interventions (many funded with federal COVID recovery money) designed to catch up students — tutoring, small group instruction, extended school days or years, and expanded summer school offerings — but were still unable to match the pace of student growth seen prior to the pandemic. Thus resulting in students falling even further behind.
