EDU Trending: COVID Did Not Cause Learning Loss

The following article may not apply to your school or town.  But learning loss is rampant across our country. We must reverse course. Experts and evidence tell us clearly what to do so that our children can be happy and succeed.  We simply must accept the truth of these facts and then put aside our grievances and work together to move forward to a better future.  Our children deserve it.

COVID is not responsible for learning loss. During the pandemic, virtual learning merely exposed and contributed to a learning loss that has been deepening for decades. And we ae all responsible.    

State and federal officials who are time-on-task devotees; district and school administrators who acquiesce for the funding; teachers who are pushed and bullied to teach-to-the-test in order to save their jobs, and parents who insistently fight and insistently lobby for their children to get top grades, competitive GPAs, and be well-rounded through multiple after-school activities – all to gain admission to a good college and be successful.     

The arm-twisting started in Washington, DC: First, under the G.W. Bush administration’s mission to increase instructional time emphasizing “time on task” under the mantra No Child Left Behind. Then the Obama administration’s Race to the Top challenge continued time-on-task and tried to extend the school day and year (neither passed). The Obama administration also threatened teachers with poor evaluations and schools with closure if student test scores did not improve.

Neither administration sought to consult successful schools either in the U.S. or elsewhere. These politicians were woefully arrogant and ignorant in neglecting to inform themselves of long-standing and well-documented education philosophies and practices about how children learn and thrive. Why did they think that proven success was not worth studying?

We the people accepted the unsubstantiated belief that increasing “time on task” would increase learning, knowledge, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. We did not raise a challenge or ask for proof.  Instead, we gave up recess, gym, some electives,  hands-on projects, inquiry and exchange of ideas - all of which are documented contributors to improved academic achievement and social growth.

We stopped teaching and showing our children how to acquire true knowledge that can be stored in and retrieved from memory. We traded depth of knowledge that is long-lasting and adopted a policy of memorizing facts out of context, facts which, therefore, are meaningless; facts that fade from memory as soon as the test is over.

We abandoned the activities that offer students opportunities and time to explore, discover, experience, and share with each other the joy of real learning that stays with you.  And along the way, students began to lose interest and become stressed.  As a result, absences have risen.  So has poor behavior. Grades have gone down.

In response, schools have instituted credit recovery, grade inflation, and no fail policies to salvage grades that were never earned and knowledge that was never learned.

We are witnessing unchecked, accelerated learning loss that persists even five years after the pandemic. Long-standing practice is to blame. Not COVID.

Add the superficial “influencer” learning meted out on social media.  Plus cellphones. Top it off with AI reading, writing, and thinking for our children.  And the learning loss is compounded.  It took the actions (or inactions) of all of us to drop to the depths of learning loss we face today.

As for higher education, many freshmen required remedial instruction in English and math: 60% for those entering community college and 40% for those enrolled in a four-year university. 

And now, we do not know how to reverse course.  So much is wrong, it is overwhelming.  But nothing is more important than our children, so we must unite and try.  We are not alone! Together - with determination, patience, and time - we can fix this!

We can learn form schools where students are thriving: In the U.S., Canada, England, Finland, Shanghai, and more.  We simply must google, do our research, make calls, visit, and learn.  Then accept the evidence of what works and adapt it to the policies of local school districts.  Whether this effort is conducted independently - including concerned parents, teachers, and other local officials - it should be a learning expedition.  It must not be politicized by any School Committee members or School Administrators.

The mission is simply a gathering of information about Schools that Work - the How and the Why - supported by evidence and common sense. What will emerge are common elements that are supported by research and can be presented to the public at a town meeting. From that point, people of goodwill can work together to get back on track and give our children opportunities to learn happily and earn the futures they want for themselves.

What does it mean “to learn?”  According to the Collins Dictionary: Learning is “discovery in the process  of acquiring knowledge or skills, and a relatively permanent change in behavior or understanding gained from experience.” I hope that together we will learn, help our children, and help each other.

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From Me to You:  Recess Is A Good Time Well Spent

Recently, the headlines of three articles left me feeling sad and frustrated.  The first is “From Screen Time to ‘Green’ Time: Going Outside to Promote Student Well-Being.” The second wonders: “Is More Playtime the Antidote to Kindergarteners’ Behavior Problems?” The third directly poses the question: “How Important Is Recess?”

The last article sums it up.  Recess is essential. It contributes to our children’s physical health, social awareness and helps to develop appropriate behavior, emotional stability, academic progress, and self-confidence.     

Recess provides opportunities for our kids to let off steam physically or to just sit and imagine.  It lets them engage with other kids and learn how to interact, share, focus, pay attention, and have fun.  Recess is also a time to explore on their own and learn independently. That is fun, too.

We all need downtime to relax, recharge, and regroup.  So do our children.

Recess is a natural and vital part of growing up.   When we took away recess, we took away all of its benefits, including fun.  We exchanged it for time-on-task/teach-to-the-test programming.  Where did that get us?

In my opinion, recess is the most important and rewarding time-on-task there is.    

Fun is not frivolous.  If learning were a joyous, exciting, engaging, and fun experience, including downtime for recess, there would be less disagreeable behavior, absenteeism, student stress, and propped up lackluster grades.  Instead, there would be happy, healthy, curious, and motivated kids.  Do not take my word for it.   Please read the article about the importance of recess, cited in the first paragraph of th\is article.

The same article specifically notes the positive effects recess has on student behavior. But with regard to the question about more playtime being “the antidote” to behavioral problems of kindergartners, while there is probably no quick fix, the more play, interaction, and fun the better.  Along with established class rules that the children can help to write.

Finally, in the article about green time, the author makes the excellent point that taking students away from screens and outside to learn is a positive step.  However, we should not have to justify taking kids outside by calling it “green” time to learn about nature.  If it is a science class, no justification is needed.  But I object to the author bemoaning the fact that less fortunate students do not have the advantage of learning and playing in a green space.  I would argue that going outdoors to play during recess is just as much fun and just as educational on concrete.