Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
After more than a year of isolation, widespread financial insecurity, and the loss of an unprecedented amount of classroom time, experts say many of the youngest Americans have fallen behind socially, academically, and emotionally in ways that could harm their physical and mental health for years or even decades (Source: “Damage to Children’s Education — And Their Health — Could Last a Lifetime,” Kaiser Health News, July 1, 2021).
“This could affect a whole generation for the rest of their lives,” said Jack Shonkoff, MD, a pediatrician and director of the Center for the Developing Child at Harvard University. “All kids will be affected. Some will get through this and be fine. They will learn from it and grow. But lots of kids are going to be in big trouble.”
Many kids will go back to school this fall without having mastered the previous year’s curriculum. Some kids have disappeared from school altogether and educators worry that more students will drop out. Between school closures and reduced instructional time, the average U.S. child has lost the equivalent of five to nine months of learning during the pandemic, according to a report from McKinsey & Co. that was released in December 2020.
Educational losses have been even greater for some minorities. Black and Hispanic students — whose parents are more likely to have lost jobs and whose schools were less likely to reopen for in-person instruction — missed six to 12 months of learning, according to the McKinsey report.