Use school-level recovery patterns to target support and long-term improvement investments where they are needed most¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (2 associational), q1–q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The brief positions analysis of diverging recovery patterns as a decision aid for education leaders. By understanding which schools experienced larger initial achievement declines and which show slower post-pandemic gains, leaders can direct resources where recovery is lagging. The description states the brief "offers insights to policy makers and leaders where to invest for long-term improvement and targeting support where it is needed most."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Analysis of school-level achievement declines and post-pandemic gains, as the brief conducts, to identify where support is needed

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students in schools recovering from pandemic-era achievement declines

Target Learning Goals¶

• Restoring average academic achievement to pre-pandemic levels

Claims¶

• Post-COVID school recovery varies across schools in both the size of initial achievement declines and the size of subsequent gains [+W]
• The “From loss to recovery” brief examines two components of school recovery post-COVID to understand diverging recovery patterns across schools [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Educational leaders should weigh the demographic shift in tested students and other contextual data when planning student growth and recovery support
• Targeted investments in early literacy and math programs for the youngest students

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Emily Morton, Megan Kuhfeld, Ayesha K. Hashim, Scott J. Peters. (2026). From loss to recovery: Diverging paths and uneven gains across schools. NWEA Research brief. https://www.nwea.org/research-publications/