A recent study by Istation found that learning loss in the past two years has been significant and unprecedented.
“Our study shows COVID-19 school closures have contributed to as much as two months of learning loss in reading and four to five months of learning loss in math,” said Mitchelle Kelley, an Istation educational expert. “This is in addition to the regular one to two months of loss students usually experience during the summer months.”
Fortunately, the US government is providing federal funds to help state and local education agencies meet all their students’ increased learning needs.
The federal funds we’re talking about relate to the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief, or ESSER, fund, which provides $122 billion in relief for pre-K–12 schools. The Department of Education is encouraging state and local education agencies to use these funds for reopening schools and addressing the academic, social, emotional, mental health, and safety needs of their students.
But there are specific criteria that state and local education agencies must meet to use these funds, which are intended for learning loss or unfinished learning and cover how schools can measure learning loss, administer high-quality assessments, provide information to parents, and improve student attendance and engagement. Read more on utilizing ESSER funds to mitigate learning loss at your school.
In this episode of the MarketScale EdTech podcast, host Shelby Skrhak sat down with two experts on educational funding, Dr. Karen Ingram and Mitchelle Kelley of Istation, to discuss how these federal funds may be used.
Listen to the podcast!