https://thefederalist.com/2022/03/24/shocking-data-shows-school-closures-caused-severe-learning-loss-for-children-around-the-globe/
Shocking Data Shows School Closures Caused Severe Learning Loss For Children Around The Globe
Children have been the lowest-risk group affected by Covid-19, but have arguably suffered the most under Covid-19 policies imposed on them by hysteric adults. A recent joint report by the World Bank, UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), and UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund), presents some shocking data on how much learning loss children worldwide have suffered in the last two years due to school closures.
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It didn’t take long for scientists to learn that children are much less likely than adults to be harmed by Covid-19. As school closures extended from weeks to months, many parents and educators voiced concerns that remote learning had failed to provide kids the educational experience they needed.
Younger children and children with disabilities were especially struggling with online learning since those classes were often thrown together in a hurry without considering their unique needs. The prolonged school closures also affected children’s mental health and exasperated other social issues, including subjecting some children to physical or sexual abuse.
By June 2020, there was sufficient data to show that school closures caused more harm than good. So about 20 countries, including Denmark, Finland, and France, reopened their schools. But many countries, including the United States, kept schools closed, despite data recommending otherwise.
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School closures also widened the education achievement gaps among racial groups. The same research demonstrates that, on reading, about “48 percent of Black grade 1 students are far behind, and 43 percent of Hispanic grade 1 students, compared to 27 percent of white grade 1 students.”
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Besides learning loss, the joint report points out that school closures in the last two years have jeopardized children’s health and safety. Close to 400 million kids worldwide missed out on school meals during closures, which were the only reliable source of food and daily nutrition for many. The extended school closures also put “an estimated 10 million more girls at risk of early marriage in the next decade and at increased risk of dropping out of school.”
The report concludes that reopening schools should be every country’s “highest priority” because “the cost of keeping schools closed is steep and threatens to hamper a generation of children and youth while widening pre-pandemic disparities.” It recommends countries adopting learning recovery programs with mixed techniques, including extending instructional time and targeted instructions.
Even though there is indisputable evidence about the harm children have suffered due to extended school closures, teachers’ unions in the United States continue to prioritize their own interests at the expense of children.
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The closures hurt children of color and female students the most - the groups 'progressives' claim to care so much about.