One report found that online learning left students 5 months behind in math and 4 months behind in reading.
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The fourth-grade holiday party just isn’t the same from your kitchen table.
The number of US public schools closing due to Covid this week hit 646, an increase of 81% from the previous week, according to data service Burbio. The jump comes only days before most schools’ winter breaks were set to begin and as the highly contagious Omicron variant races across the country.
Some experts and politicians are urging school districts to keep their doors open. They argue that virtual classrooms are more harmful to students than the risk of developing severe illness from Covid (Covid hospitalizations for school-age children has been 1-in-100,000 throughout the pandemic).
- One report from McKinsey Insights found that online learning left students up to five months behind in math and four months behind in reading. And schools with a majority Black population suffered even more educational setbacks after pivoting to virtual classes.
Zoom out: Health officials are increasingly trying to avoid widespread quarantines for school children. Last Friday, the CDC endorsed a policy known as “test-to-stay,” which aims to reduce classroom disruptions by allowing students exposed to Covid to get tested and return to school.—MM
