The economic consequences for students during the pandemic 'could be far greater than those of the Great Recession'

A six-year old going to school virtually — like most students did during the pandemic. The resulting 'learning loss,' will have far reaching economic impacts, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research report.

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• Student "learning loss," could prove to be more economically damaging than the Great Recession. 
• School shutdowns hit Black and Hispanic students harder than White and Asian students. 
• The federal government has given $190 billion to schools in the hopes of mitigating the impact. 

The COVID-19 public health emergency may be officially over, but a new report shows that we're only starting to see its impact on children's education. 

Standardized testing scores are down significantly, children in some districts are years behind on reading and math, and many have missed out on key periods of socialization, ProPublica reported. Remote learning and trauma relating to COVID-19 deaths both played a role in the setbacks. 

As a result of this so-called learning loss, the economic fallout for those who went to school during the pandemic years could be worse than for people who worked during the Great Recession, Stanford economist Eric Hanushek said while presenting research at an event earlier this year, according to ProPublica. These students will be "punished throughout their lifetime," he said at the event. 

Hanushek said that those in Grades 1 through 12 during the pandemic could expect 3% lower incomes over their lifetimes due to learning loss, in a report published May 2020 at the onset of the pandemic. 

The impact has been uneven.

Districts with a high rate of students experiencing poverty have been worse off, ProPublica reported. One reason it cited was that they are less likely to have books and other resources at home compared to a wealthier student.

Meanwhile, Black and Hispanic students were hurt more dramatically than White or Asian students — erasing years of progress in closing the racial learning gap throughout the US,  according to the news organization. Historically, this gap has been the long-term result of policies designed to keep communities of color in low-income neighborhoods, per the Brookings Institute. 

It's not just the students who will be impacted:  two-thirds of a year of learning loss would lead to an over $27 billion drop in the US Gross Domestic Product — a key indicator of economic growth — over the next 80 years, according to Hanushek's report. 

In an attempt to reverse the issue and get students back on track, the federal government has sent over $190 billion to schools across the country for pandemic recovery, which schools have put towards additional educational resources such as tutoring, per ProPublica. 

Still, the government can't contend with a shortage of teachers, an issue that was accelerated by the pandemic and is most severe in poverty-stricken areas that need it the most. The only way to solve this, according to a December 2022 Economic Policy Institute report is to increase pay for teachers and provide more support in classrooms. 

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