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pandemic
absenteeism
Pandemic

5 Years Later: My Pandemic Predictions on Learning Loss, Disengagement and More

Aldeman: What I got right and wrong about learning losses, disengagement from school and income disparities in which kids got hurt the most

Chad Aldeman
Author: Chad Aldeman
commentary
commentary

The Pandemic Was a Sputnik Moment for Rethinking American Education. We Blew It

Lake & Hill: Now, the nation's schools need to learn from their COVID missteps and take bold, new action to address education’s future.

Robin Lake & Paul Hill
The Big Picture
Assessment
The Big Picture

New NAEP Scores Dash Hope of Post-COVID Learning Recovery

Results from the Nation’s Report Card offer few positive signs, with reading performance slumping even since the heart of the pandemic.

Kevin Mahnken
Author: Kevin Mahnken
early learning
covid learning loss

In the Rush to COVID Recovery, Did We Forget About Our Youngest Learners?

Research finds the country’s youngest elementary school students aren’t catching back up to pre-pandemic levels in reading and math like older kids.

Lauren Camera
commentary
commentary

Developing Ed Tech With a Focus on Students, Teachers and the Research

Liang-Vergara: To recover from COVID learning losses, the nation needs educator and community engagement & federal investment in education R&D.

Chris Liang-Vergara
Author: Chris Liang-Vergara

learning loss

learning loss
brain function

Exclusive: Study Finds COVID Harmed Cognitive Skills of Students — and Teachers

New working paper is believed to be the first to link weaker memory and diminished ‘flexible thinking’ skills to the pandemic’s academic downturn.

Greg Toppo
Author: Greg Toppo

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STEM

Boys Outperform Girls in Middle School STEM, Reversing Gender Gap, Study Finds

Lauren Wagner
Author: Lauren Wagner
The 74 Interview

David Zweig Calls COVID School Closures ‘a False Story about Medical Consensus’

Greg Toppo
Author: Greg Toppo
Los Angeles

Five Years On, COVID-Era Enrollment Declines Decimate L.A. Schools

Ben Chapman
digital divide

COVID Internet Connectivity Crisis Has Eased For Most Families, But Risks Remain

Patrick O’Donnell
Author: Patrick O’Donnell
school (in)security

Student Absences Have Surged Since COVID. Some Say Parents Should be Jailed

Mark Keierleber
Author: Mark Keierleber
education department

Close to $3 Billion in Relief Funds in Jeopardy as Ed Dept. Halts Payments

Linda Jacobson
Author: Linda Jacobson
California

Schools In This California Town Won Praise for Their Pandemic Comeback. Here’s How

Carolyn Jones
teachers

She Loved Teaching, but After COVID Lockdowns, She Broke Up With It

Gabrielle Birkner, Chalkbeat
Pandemic

Remote Learning Was Supposed to Make Snow Days Obsolete. But Did It Really?

Lauren Wagner
Author: Lauren Wagner

Explore Our News Series

The 74 Interview

Future of High School

Brown v. Board

The 74 Interview

The 74 interviews the top thinkers, policymakers and leaders in American education

Future of High School

College, Career, Learning Recovery: How America's high schools are evolving for the next generation of teenagers.

Brown v. Board

An Enduring Legacy of the Brown v. Board of Education Decision

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Pandemic

KIPP’s Night Kindergarten in Newark: A Rare ‘Bright Spot’ in COVID’s Dark Days

Linda Jacobson
Author: Linda Jacobson
commentary

The Case for Doubling Down on Tutoring, a Proven Solution We Can’t Afford to Lose

Kevin Huffman & Sadie Jefferson
The 74 Interview

Why Hate Math?: Brooklyn Sisters’ Tutoring Co. Helps Kids Build STEM Identity

Jo Napolitano
Author: Jo Napolitano
pandemic

How COVID Shaped Child Care and Early Learning

Kendra Hurley
Author: Kendra Hurley
commentary

How States Can Soften the Fall From the Fiscal Cliff

Thomas J. Kane & Jason Godfrey
Analysis

Standards Gap: Why Many Students Score Proficient on State Tests But Not on NAEP

Thomas Toch & Bella DiMarco
The Big Picture

Research: Learning Recovery Has Stalled, Despite Billions in Pandemic Aid

Kevin Mahnken
Author: Kevin Mahnken
Analysis

How Effective is Tutoring in The United States? 4 Essential Reads

Jusneel Mahal, The Conversation
The 74 Interview

Leanlab Founder Says Ed Tech Should Root Itself in Community Voice, Co-Design

Greg Toppo
Author: Greg Toppo
Big Picture

Four Insights into U.S. Students’ Drop in Math & Science on International Test

Kevin Mahnken
Author: Kevin Mahnken
Chicago

Chicago Extends Deadline for $500 Grants to Help Families of Students with Disabilities

Reema Amin
charter schools

Charter Schools Continue to See Enrollment Increases Post-Pandemic

Lauren Camera
commentary

The ‘Average Student’ Is a Myth. Teaching to Those at the Margins Helps All Kids

Lindsay E. Jones
Author: Lindsay E. Jones
Oklahoma

Grand Jury: Oklahoma Gov’s Management of Pandemic Programs was ‘Indefensible’

Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
Hawaii

Test Scores For Hawaii Students Show Little Progress Despite Major Funding Boost

Megan Tagami, CalMatters
Analysis

Equity, Impact, Transparency: Rethinking Ed Vendor Contracts After ESSER

Patricia Burch
Author: Patricia Burch
enrollment decline

Report: Nearly 500 Schools Underenrolled and Chronically Underperforming

Marianna McMurdock
Author: Marianna McMurdock
Opinion

America Risks Losing a Whole Generation of Kids. Today’s Schools Can’t Help Them

Robin Lake
Author: Robin Lake
learning loss

Testing Data Shows Middle Schoolers Are Further Behind in Science Than in 2021

Kevin Mahnken
Author: Kevin Mahnken
Missouri

Do Some Kids Learn Better Online? A New Kansas City Virtual Academy Thinks So

Maria Benevento
Analysis

Study: State Report Cards Need Big Improvements in Tracking COVID Learning Loss

Morgan Polikoff
Author: Morgan Polikoff
Oregon

Oregon Teachers Gather to Find Solutions to Close Pandemic Learning Gaps

Alex Baumhardt, Oregon Capital Chronicle
learning loss

The Pandemic Set Young Kids Back. Their Struggle to Recover is Especially Acute

Kalyn Belsha, Chalkbeat
learning loss

Students Headed to High School Are Academically a Year Behind, COVID Study Finds

Linda Jacobson
Author: Linda Jacobson
EDlection 2024

President Joe Biden Bows Out of Reelection Campaign, Harris Vows Nomination Win

Jacob Fischler & Ashley Murray
Indiana

Indiana’s New ILEARN Test Scores Show Student Progress Remained Stagnant in 2024

Casey Smith, Indiana Capital Chronicle
special education

Washington State Schools Missed 8,500 Kids for Special Ed Referrals During COVID

Beth Hawkins
Author: Beth Hawkins
free community college

How Community Colleges Kept Students Engaged During and After the Pandemic

Xueli Wang
Analysis

Good Student-Teacher Relationships Spiked During COVID. How to Get Them Back

Hunter Gehlbach & Li Li
tutoring

Tutoring Company with Chinese Ties Hits Back at Parents Group’s Bid to ‘Destroy’ It

Greg Toppo
Author: Greg Toppo
North Carolina

North Carolina Has Lost Almost 5% of Its Child Care Programs Since Pandemic

Katie Dukes, EducationNC
Analysis

Rural Students’ Access to Wi-Fi is in Jeopardy as Pandemic-Era Resources Recede

Gabriel E. Hales & Keith N. Hampton
video

Video: With COVID Funds Ending, How Can Schools Keep Their Best Programs Going?

The 74
North Carolina

Nearly a Third of North Carolina Child Care Providers to Close Within Months

Katie Dukes, EducationNC
absenteeism

Chronic Absenteeism Rises in Texas Schools Post-Pandemic

Claudia Lorena Silva, El Paso Matters
pandemic

NYC Schools Will No Longer Require 5-Day COVID Quarantines, Following CDC Guidance

Julian Shen-Berro, Chalkbeat
Opinion

Americans Have Yet to Accept COVID’s Tragedy — And Are Taking It Out On Schools

Conor P. Williams
Author: Conor P. Williams
74 interview

Four Years After COVID, Former Superintendent Looks Back with Pride — and Regret

Linda Jacobson
Author: Linda Jacobson
opinion

Keeping Learning Recovery Going When Federal Pandemic Funds Dry Up

Denise Forte
pandemic

‘We Are in a Different Place’: CDC Lifts 5-Day Isolation Guidelines for COVID

Helena Oliviero & Stephanie Lamm
California

California Schools Gained Billions During COVID-19. Now the Money is Running Out

Carolyn Jones
transfer students

Job Focused Community College Programs Grow — But Grim Transfer Trend Continues

Joshua Bay
Author: Joshua Bay
Face Masks

Iowa Appeals Court Upholds Law Banning Mask Mandates in Schools

Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
California

These Fed-Up Parents Fought California’s Pandemic Schooling and Won. Now What?

Carolyn Jones
learning loss

Lost Learning = Lost Earning, an Equation that Could Cost the U.S. $31 Trillion

Kevin Mahnken
Author: Kevin Mahnken
assessments

Texas Children Still Struggle in Math Post-Pandemic, Schools Try New Approaches

Brian Lopez, The Texas Tribune
tutoring

As Relief Funds Expire, Harvard’s Kane Says ‘Whole Generation’ Still Needs Help

Linda Jacobson
Author: Linda Jacobson
Analysis

Why Now Is the Perfect Time to Redesign the New American High School

Robin Lake
Author: Robin Lake
Ohio

To Fight Chronic Absenteeism, Ohio Lawmakers Propose Paying Kids to Go to School

Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
Analysis

Helping Teens Succeed: We Must Blur the Lines Between HS, College & Careers

Jared Polis
Author: Jared Polis
National School Choice Week

Road Scholars: When These Families Travel, School Comes Along for the Ride

Linda Jacobson
Author: Linda Jacobson
buses

State Will Roll Out More Money to Help Districts Pay to Bus Students to School

Ross Williams, Georgia Recorder
South Dakota

1 in 5 Students, Majority of Native American Pupils, Chronically Absent in SD

Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight
student engagement

As Nation Reels from Chronic Absenteeism, Indiana Confronts it in the Extreme

Kate Rix
Texas

Grieving Houston Students’ Well-Being at Stake as COVID-19 Funds Fade

Asher Lehrer-Small
Author: Asher Lehrer-Small
Analysis

6 Ways Schools Can Better Engage Parents Worried About COVID Learning Loss

Keri Rodrigues
Author: Keri Rodrigues
parent engagement

When Getting Good Grades and Working at Grade Level Are Not the Same Thing

Lauren Wagner
Author: Lauren Wagner
The 74 Interview

74 Interview: Why Social Media is Being Blamed for the Youth Suicide Crisis

Mark Keierleber
Author: Mark Keierleber
Indiana

Indiana Advocates: Expiring COVID Funds May Derail Summer, Afterschool Learning

Patrick O’Donnell
Author: Patrick O’Donnell
best of 2023

The Year in Education: 23 Top Stories About Schools, Kids & Learning Recovery

Steve Snyder
Author: Steve Snyder
best of the year

14 Charts that Changed the Way We Looked at America’s Schools in 2023

Kevin Mahnken
Author: Kevin Mahnken
A Way Forward for Schools After COVID

Closing Education’s ‘Honesty Gap’: Greater Transparency for Parents After COVID

Aimee Guidera
Author: Aimee Guidera
mental health

Virginia Data Shows Severe Shortage of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists

Hollyann Purvis/Capital News Service
Analysis

ESSER Funds: NC Districts Played It Safe on Teacher Pay & May Avoid Fiscal Cliff

Bella DiMarco
Author: Bella DiMarco
Analysis

10 Teens Talk Mental Health, AI & What It’s Like to Be a Student in 2023

Cara Pangelinan
Author: Cara Pangelinan
Online Learning

Online Schooling for Washington’s Youngest Students is on the Rise

Grace Deng
college enrollment

Texas Community Colleges See Biggest Enrollment Recovery Since the Pandemic

Caroline Wilburn
Hawaii

COVID Funds Help Hawaii Schools Tackle Absenteeism. What Happens When They Run Out?

Megan Tagami, CalMatters
Analysis

What Autistic Students Can Teach Us About Focusing on Assets, Not Deficits

Kristie Patten
Author: Kristie Patten
Hawaii

Test Scores Show Slow Progress For Hawaii Students

Megan Tagami, CalMatters
Child Tax Credit

America’s Child Poverty Rate Doubled in 2022. Now States Are Rushing to Step In

Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline
The 74 Interview

‘Whole Child, Whole Life’ Book Offers 10 Ways For Kids to Live, Learn & Thrive

Conor P. Williams
Author: Conor P. Williams
Opinion

After COVID, the Race to Restore Student Connections and School Relationships

David Adams
Author: David Adams
Opinion

Team Teaching Is the Best Use of ESSER Funds to Boost Student Learning after COVID

Emily Ayscue Hassel & Bryan C. Hassel
cailfornia

California Student Test Scores Change Little from Last Year’s Low

Erica Yee, CalMatters
Ohio

A Tale of Extremes: More High & Low Scores in Ohio’s K-Shaped Learning Recovery

Patrick O’Donnell
Author: Patrick O’Donnell
Georgia

Georgia’s High School Seniors Graduate at a Slightly Higher Rate

Ty Tagami, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Opinion

How Have Schools Improved Since the Pandemic? What Teachers Had to Say

Cory Beets
Author: Cory Beets
charter schools

Washington Charter School Students See Big Gains on State Math Tests

Jo Napolitano
Author: Jo Napolitano
Analysis

With More Teachers & Fewer Students, Districts Are Set up for Financial Trouble

Chad Aldeman
Author: Chad Aldeman
Indiana

Uncertain Future for Providers as Child Care Crisis Looms

Whitney Downard, Indiana Capital Chronicle
Oklahoma

Oklahoma Schools Face Substitute Teacher Shortages

Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
COVID Policy Briefing

Schools Brace for COVID Surge: What New Variants & Vaccines Mean for Students

John Bailey
Author: John Bailey
school choice

Not-Back-To-School Time For Homeschoolers

Kerry McDonald
Ohio

Ohio’s Pandemic Recovery Slows As Achievement Gaps Fail To Close

Patrick O’Donnell
Author: Patrick O’Donnell
tutoring

How a Free, 24/7 Tutoring Model is Disrupting Learning Loss for Low-Income Kids

Marianna McMurdock
Author: Marianna McMurdock
child care

How States Can Prepare to Aid Families Through the Looming Child Care Crisis

Nicole Norvell
4Fams

How a Family COVID Project Became a Fun, Creative Outlet for Children Nationwide

Stacey Gillett
Author: Stacey Gillett
Virginia

Despite Post-Pandemic Efforts, Virginia Student Test Scores Remain Mostly Flat

Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury
Analysis

How States Can Make Summer Learning Programs Meaningful and Open to All Students

Allison Crean Davis
Author: Allison Crean Davis
Arizona

Arizona Schools Chief Cancels $70M in COVID Funding to Set Up Tutoring Program

Gloria Gomez, Arizona Mirror
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