COVID-19 school closures in Pennsylvania are likely to have caused substantial learning losses, with harms concentrated in populations also disproportionately harmed by the disease¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · theoretical r1 · q1
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2025: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q1 i? The authors assert that Pennsylvania schoolchildren missing in-person instruction since March 2020 are likely missing substantial learning, and that losses and hardships are likely greater for populations disproportionately harmed by COVID-19 itself, creating an equity challenge. → Brian Gill 2020

Evidence¶

Brian Gill 2020¶

Brian Gill, Ravi Goyal, Jacob Hartog, John Hotchkiss, Danielle DeLisle. (2020). Considerations for Reopening Pennsylvania Schools. Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/considerations-for-reopening-pennsylvania-schools

q1 · i? · theoretical · r1

The publication's framing statement, offered by the authors as an interpretation of closure impacts rather than a measured result; no data, effect size, or test is reported on the page. It asserts "a substantial amount of learning" is being missed and names an equity concern.

"it is likely that schoolchildren all over the state are missing out on a substantial amount of learning, with educational losses and other hardships that are likely to be greater for some of the same populations that are disproportionately harmed by the disease itself, creating a serious equity challenge."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• In-person learning in Pennsylvania LEAs expanded as the 2020–2021 school year progressed — related
• The study examined seven Pennsylvania school districts to test whether hybrid-instruction COVID-19 trends paralleled or exceeded local community trends — related
• Most Pennsylvania students were in LEAs that prioritized students with disabilities for in-person instruction, and the pandemic made special education services harder to provide — related
• Reducing student density in classrooms and shared school spaces, combined with precautions such as physical distancing, some mask wearing, and good ventilation, allows for a safer school reopening during COVID-19 — related
• In an urban district facing shrinking enrollment, student achievement was incorporated as a factor in deciding which schools to close, and the study examined whether student outcomes depended on which schools were closed — related
• Schools reported that about 40 percent of their students experienced considerable or major academic losses since March 2020 — related
• Students affected by the school closures were more disadvantaged than typical CPS students, and the closed schools served more vulnerable populations than other schools — related
• COVID-19 school closures will likely impact student academic achievement — a broader claim this one bears on
• Observed COVID-19 achievement declines were more substantial than declines during other recent disruptions such as natural disasters — related
• Students with disabilities may have experienced disproportionate academic impacts from COVID-19, according to NWEA research — related
• COVID-19 closures left schools and districts serving 55.1 million students in an unprecedented time — related
• Experts at the NISS Ingram Olkin Forum shared statistical and data-analytic challenges in researching COVID-19's impact on U.S. schools — related
• COVID-19 learning losses are expected to be concentrated in the early grades and among students who were already struggling before the pandemic — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• COVID-19 learning deficits arose early in the pandemic and have neither closed nor substantially widened since then — related