Despite the fact that children face practically no risk from COVID-19, many countries closed schools in an attempt to suppress the epidemic. What effect did this have on children’s learning? According to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it may have had a sizeable negative effect.
The study was based on data from the Netherlands, where national examinations take place twice a year: first in January and then again in June. Because last year’s lockdown happened to take place between the two examinations, the authors were able to compare students’ progress in 2020 to their progress in previous years.
This is a more robust method than simply comparing students’ post-lockdown performance to their performance in previous years, since it controls for any changes that may have occurred within the school system between 2019 and 2020. For example, the students enrolled in 2020 might be slightly different from those enrolled in 2019.
The authors looked at math, spelling and reading scores, as well as a composite measure of all three, for students aged 8 to 11. Comparing scores between January and June, they found that students made considerably less progress in 2020 than in each of the three preceding years. Here’s one of their charts:
The learning loss was equivalent to one-fifth of a school year (roughly eight weeks), which means that students made essentially no progress under lockdown. In addition, the effect was 60% larger among students from less-educated homes, confirming that the costs of lockdown have fallen disproportionately on the working class.
As the authors note, their findings arguably reflect a “best-case scenario”, given that the Netherlands combines equitable school funding with high levels of broadband access, and the country’s lockdown only lasted eight weeks. Learning losses in other countries were probably even greater.
Stop Press: The authors of the study say their conclusions are applicable to English primary school children too.
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Quelle surprise!
But, of course, this is the lesser problem. This rampant child abuse has created massive problems in terms of the deprivation of social contact and induction of mental illness.
A friend’s son is repeating his second year of a computer science degree because he couldn’t cope with the on-line aspects (and he is a computer specialist).
On line teaching doesn’t suit everyone. I agree there is too much computer in our lives. However, I do think the classroom has been a hotbed of group think too, which is highly dangerous, as we have seen.
Interestingly my four year old grandsons phoneticswent up 3 levels in the eight weeks his mum and I were homeschooling him. We’re thinking of making it permanent 😊
I totally agree. My granddaughter was really struggling with understanding numbers. An hour a day for a couple of weeks and she is now flying. She is also asking many questions about everyday situations that require number skills. My daughter has already talked to other mums locally a out home schooling.
Lock ’em up.
Politicians, headmasters et.al.
Indulging in generalized fantasy doesn’t actually help credibility.
All part of the plan to make Western economies non-competitive going forward.
“China’s Belt and Road Initiative, in seeking to connect China to Central Asia, and eventually to Europe, will have the practical significance of shifting the world centre of gravity from the Atlantic (ie the USA and he might mean the UK as well) to the Pacific (ie China) …….and will involve the cultures of Eurasia, each of who will have to decide what relationship to this region they will seek, and so will the United States. This is why many of us urged the United States to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank when it was proposed by China” Henry Kissinger, Banking Conference, China, 2017 So the final stages of power shifting to China are underway. Russia is part of this. Australia and NZ are in the region too, hence all the ultra draconian programming there, to get people accustomed to the new world which will be fronted by a dominant Communist China but behind the scenes the existing power network will maintain its position. Israel is also a player in this via its dominant role in the tech sector and ‘smart cities’ agenda and its close relationship with Russia and China. Who knows which direction the UK will go… Read more »
There is certainly an argument to be made that China, with globalist help, has already fought and won World War 3.
Depends what you mean by learning. Children will have learned a hell of a lot by default from this past year, not least the stupidity of mankind, the frailty of politics, of science and of society in general. That’s some footing upon which to build their futures. Forewarned is forearmed!
Let’s hope they have learned not to trust institutions too. We need a complete dusting down of the woke, group think, revolving door of upper middle class badly educated globalist bag carriers.
What do the government or teaching profession call learning? Indoctrination against their future??
In my small experience of families I live close too, the teenagers actually say hello in the morning instead of grunting, they seem lost but not angry too.
I think many smaller children have enjoyed the reconnection with family life and small pleasures like gardening, walking and even cooking. I do not count cycling in this as I notice in my very mixed community only the wealthier have cycles. The rest have legs with feet on the end.
Education is reading, writing, politeness, manners, respecting those around you, understanding the environment you live in and most of all critical thinking. All of which is not learned at school but by being involved with family and community.