A colossal learning setback
December 16, 2020
The writer is an independent education researcher and consultant. She has a PhD in Education from Michigan State University.
Since the pandemic began, educators have been warning about the possibility of a backslide in student learning. As we enter December, studies from around the world have started to pour in confirming this. The Washington Post reported on a study conducted in the US by McKinsey & Co, warning of a ‘lost generation’. Assessments conducted to see where students stand have shown that student learning levels have been set back by months.
These setbacks have not been evenly distributed either, affecting students from poorer households and students of color more severely. While white students’ progress was set back by three months, students of colour were set back by five months. Subject-wise, learning losses have been most severe in mathematics. Learning setbacks are also less substantial for children who had qu