Desks sat empty for the better part of this past year as students and educators continued the long fight of learning through a pandemic. Even to the the untrained eye, it's clear that this fight will have future implications on children beyond those at a surface level. Unfortunately, it's much bigger than a few missed 2020 sporting events or school dances.
According to experts, the effects of lost learning could possibly have longer-lasting effects on this generation's students far beyond the era of the pandemic. Our friends over at The 74 have compiled a list of 10 lessons we can learn from past and present educational disruptions and, more importantly, how we can use these lessons to help students make up for lost time in the classroom.
I won't go through the entire list, you can do that here, but I do want to go over a few that stood out to me. Not only that, but the issues below are some that we believe SchoolInfo can assist with by using our full suite of communication essentials.
Learning Losses Are Likely To Be Large
Although they will vary widely, the COVID-19 losses are likely to be at least as large as those stemming from other catastrophes such as earthquakes or floods. Millions of students haven’t had access to in-person learning since March, and they’re likely getting fewer hours of instruction than they normally would.
The Full Extent Of The COVID Learning Losses May Not Show Up Immediately, But Small Losses Can Grow Over Time
Early in the pandemic, we had to rely on estimates and predictions for the size of the COVID19 learning losses. We’re starting to get some real data, from NWEA and Renaissance Learning, and the losses are not quite as large as we might have expected. We have not yet seen results that fully include marginalized groups like low-income students, English learners or children with disabilities. We may start getting more complete data if states are able to conduct testing this spring, but even those results may undersell the challenges.
Beyond Academic Losses, Students Are At Risk Of Disconnecting From Education
A study from the National Student Clearinghouse found that immediate college-going rates fell 29 percent for low-income high school students last year. And those are the kids we can count. According to estimates between 1 million and 3 million students have not received any formal schooling since the shutdowns began in March. Although older students may not be losing academic skills as much as their younger siblings, if students disconnected from schools and never re-engage, they’re unlikely to finish high school, let alone advance to some form of postsecondary education.
Though these studies are sobering, it's important to combat these statistics in every way we can. SchoolInfo takes pride in playing a small role in helping to establish connections and open new communication lines within your school community. With a branded mobile app and website from SchoolInfo, educators can reach students and parents on their mobile devices, ensuring that they never miss a thing.
It is our hope for every person in every school, no matter how big or small, to have convenient access to secure, trustworthy, and accessible information and resources that ensures the success of students and the growth of their community. If you are interested in learning more about our full-spectrum communications suite, and how we can help, head over to our website.