The Learning Crisis: Three Years After COVID-19

Tomasz Gajderowicz, Maciej Jakubowski, Alec Kennedy, Christian Christrup, Harry Patrinos and Rolf Strietholt
Additional contact information
Tomasz Gajderowicz: University of Warsaw
Alec Kennedy: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement
Christian Christrup: Aarhus University
Rolf Strietholt: International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement

No 17550, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions to education, with school closures affecting over one billion children. These closures, aimed at reducing virus transmission, resulted in significant learning losses, particularly in mathematics and science. Using data from TIMSS 2023, which assesses fourth and eighth-grade achievements across 71 education systems, this study analyzes the impact of school closure duration on learning outcomes. Mixed-effect models estimate deviations from pre-pandemic trends, adjusting for demographic factors. Results show a global average decline of 0.11 standard deviations (SD) in student achievement, with longer closures linked to more severe losses. The effects on low performers, girls, and linguistic minorities show effect sizes up to 0.22 SD. These findings highlight the lasting impact of school closures and emphasize the need for targeted recovery strategies and international cooperation to promote equitable educational outcomes post-pandemic.

Keywords: pandemics; human capital; returns to education; labor markets; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 J11 J17 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 18 pages
Date: 2024-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lma and nep-ure
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Related works:
Working Paper: The Learning Crisis: Three Years After COVID-19 (2025)
Working Paper: The Learning Crisis: Three Years After Covid-19 (2024)
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