Oct 2023
Overcoming Pandemic-Induced Learning Loss
The Education Lab’s faculty co-directors, Dr. Jens Ludwig, professor at the University of Chicago, and Dr. Jon Guryan, professor at Northwestern University, published a paper commissioned by the Aspen Economic Strategy Group for its 2023 policy volume, “Building a More Resilient US Economy,” that details the urgent, once-in-a-century public education crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and proposes policy solutions to help schools scale proven strategies like high-dosage tutoring and close learning gaps.
The global COVID-19 pandemic created not only a once-a-century public health crisis but also a once-a-century public education crisis. Unfortunately, the United States federal government’s financial assistance to schools to overcome pandemic-induced learning loss is about to expire – despite the fact that the country has made almost no progress remediating this learning loss. In thinking about where to go next, we first look backward to examine why so little progress was made over the past few years. Changing student learning outcomes requires changing what schools do; that has been hard partly because of the chaos in the wake of the pandemic, but also because change is difficult for all organizations. We illustrate some of the challenges within the context of one specific type of instructional content for which US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona encouraged schools to prioritize relief funding: high-dosage tutoring, a promising technology that’s been known for centuries to help students of all ages. To avoid lifelong negative consequences for a generation of 50 million school-age children, policymakers need to (1) extend the timeline over which federal assistance is available, (2) provide additional resources beyond that, and (3) nudge schools to take difficult steps that will ultimately help students through increased accountability or other means.
Personalized Learning Initiative Research Brief
Overview of the Personalized Learning Initiative, a nationwide R&D initiative to scale the benefits of tutoring.
Latest Updates
NYC expands restorative justice programs: ‘This is for them to come feel safe’
The Gothamist’s Samantha Max cites Education Lab research that found using restorative practices to address student behavior can reduce arrests and suspensions.
Implementation, and Impact of High-Dosage Tutoring Programs
Today the national nonprofit Accelerate announced a new initiative that will bring together top education researchers from across the U.S. to develop rigorous research on the impact, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of various high-dosage tutoring programs. The Education Lab is a member of Accelerate’s inaugural Research Learning Community as part of a commitment to helping policymakers and school districts access the high-quality and transparent evidence they need to make informed decisions for their students.
What aspects of teaching should remain human?
Chris Berdik, for The Hechinger Report, highlights Saga Education’s partnership with the Education Lab to scale high-dosage tutoring through the Personalized Learning Initiative, where AI is playing a growing role in the delivery of tutoring.
