Two phrases much in the news are “learning loss” and “achievement gaps.” We read frequently that at the K-12 level, the pandemic has contributed to a significant erosion of knowledge and skills and greatly exacerbated disparities in reading and math proficiencies on the basis of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
The reported losses are, according to some reports, staggering. For example, one organization reported that more than half of 3rd and 8th graders in predominantly Black and Latino schools are two or more years behind grade level.
