The puzzling finding comes from figures by education researchers at Harvard and Stanford universities. Their new resource, the , compiles test scores from roughly 4,000 schools that serve some in third through eighth grades across 29 states and the District of Columbia. Their work presents the first school system-level analysis of student learning through the pandemic.
鈥淚n rural communities like ours, parents were juggling a lot in trying to make a living, and children spent more time on devices,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he reading loss definitely shows.鈥�
Mondragon is training to become a lead teacher through Reach University, working to combat teacher shortages in rural districts. Reach Dean of Undergraduate Studies Kimberly Eckert believes those persistent staffing issues may also be a factor behind literacy losses.
鈥淔or reading, where different learner needs demand different interventions, the teacher shortage may be more of the issue here,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ccess to reading specialists in rural communities may have been impacted by COVID, even if schools remained open.鈥�
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