Addressing Post-COVID Learning Loss: Four Key Takeaways from the 2024 NewDEAL Conference

Elected officials at the state and local level remain focused on lingering learning loss four years after COVID caused unprecedented disruptions to our education system. Unfortunately, and unsurprisingly, students who needed the most help before COVID are further behind than before the pandemic. 

Newly-released data from NAEP, the biennial assessment of fourth and eighth graders known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” underscores these troubling gaps. Both math and reading scores peaked in the mid-2010s, and have had a generally downward trajectory for the past decade or more. While the COVID disruptions exacerbated the situation, the trend clearly goes back further than that. These latest scores show that challenge is deepening as most students still perform below pre-pandemic 2019 levels in reading and math. 

Meanwhile, federal funds to help schools address the COVID crisis have run out, resulting in an average 5-8 percent reduction in district budgets, which could lead to school closures, layoffs, and program cuts.

However, there is a silver lining: As a result of innovations and efforts across the country the past few years, there is clear evidence on what works to get more students on track. A group of elected officials and education experts met in Washington, D.C., at the NewDEAL Leaders 2024 Annual Conference to discuss the data around learning loss as well as pragmatic strategies to move forward.