The COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person learning across the world, so nearly three years later, numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics show students and educators are still reeling from the impacts.
About half of the nation’s students began this school year a grade level behind in at least one subject, according to national data from the federal Education Department.
The data show that before the pandemic, about 36% of students would start a new school year behind.
At the beginning of both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, public schools reported students were so far behind it was as though they were repeating the previous grade.
Getting back on track is the goal, and according to educators it is possible, but it will take a lot of work.
The Institute of Education Sciences reported that 37% of public schools are offering what’s known as “high-dosage tutoring,” which is defined as 30-minute sessions offered three or more times a week, and 59% of schools provided standard tutoring.