Use summer learning loss research to help educators, policy makers, and families plan for and address impacts of extended school closures¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The brief recommends drawing on the established research base on summer learning loss as an analog for understanding the consequences of the COVID-19 pause in schooling. It states that this research "can offer insights to help educators, policy makers, and families understand, plan for, and address" the potential impacts of the extended pause when students return to school. The strategy is therefore to treat seasonal learning patterns as an evidence-based planning tool for post-closure recovery.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Access to research on summer learning loss and seasonal learning patterns to translate findings into planning

Constraints¶

• The brief frames this as addressing potential impacts, not measured COVID-specific effects

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students returning to school after COVID-19 closures

Target Learning Goals¶

• Academic achievement in mathematics and reading following an extended interruption in schooling

Related Strategies¶

• Educational leaders should weigh the demographic shift in tested students and other contextual data when planning student growth and recovery support
• Multi-pronged policy strategy for COVID-19 learning recovery for BIPOC students
• Use federal ESSER and IDEA funding to provide early intervention, extended school year support in the summer, and other evidence-based supports for students with disabilities
• Convene educators, policymakers, and families to plan for the impacts of extended pauses in classroom instruction

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Megan Kuhfeld, Beth Tarasawa. (2020). The COVID-19 slide: What summer learning loss can tell us about the potential impact of school closures on student academic achievement. NWEA Research brief. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/the-covid-19-slide-what-summer-learning-loss-can-tell-us-about-the-potential-impact-of-school-closures-on-student-academic-achievement/