The Enduring Scars of COVID-19: How American Education Has Changed in the Last Five Years

The American education system is grappling with the profound and lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, five years after the initial shutdowns. What began as a temporary disruption has morphed into a multifaceted challenge, fundamentally altering the landscape of learning for both students and educators. The shift to virtual learning, while necessary at the time, has left indelible marks on academic performance, student behavior, teacher well-being, and the very structure of schooling.

Academic Setbacks and the Bleak Picture of Recovery

The abrupt transition to remote learning in March 2020 triggered a cascade of academic challenges. National data from the U.S. Department of Education and recent test scores from the National Center for Education Statistics paint a grim picture. Students have demonstrably lost fundamental reading and math skills, with recovery proving to be a slow and arduous process. Reading scores are declining, and math scores have yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels on a national scale.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation, in its report on the effects of the pandemic on education, highlights the detrimental impact of remote learning on student engagement, instructional time, and overall comprehension. The shift challenged student and teacher engagement, dramatically decreased instructional time, and hindered student understanding.

Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, believes that American education may not fully recover to pre-pandemic levels until a generation of students who were not directly impacted by the closures enters the system. He emphasizes the crucial nature of early grades, noting that the fourth graders of today were in kindergarten when the pandemic forced schools to close. The precious period of foundational skill development was disrupted, leaving a lasting impact on these students’ academic trajectories.

Technology’s Double-Edged Sword

While the pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities, it also accelerated the integration of technology into the classroom. Internet tools like Zearn and Kahoot!, initially adopted as emergency measures for remote learning, have become fixtures in many American schools. A report from the Brookings Institution, "Rewiring the Classroom: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Transformed K-12 Education," underscores this rapid transformation.

Before the pandemic, schools were gradually incorporating digital tools. The pandemic forced a complete embrace of Learning Management Systems (LMS), Zoom, and educational software virtually overnight. Teachers now routinely use these digital resources, sometimes in combination with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

However, this technological integration presents its own set of challenges. Educators must now navigate the complexities of effectively utilizing these tools while addressing the fundamental skill deficits that emerged during remote learning.

Behavioral Challenges and Mental Health Crisis

Beyond academic setbacks, schools are grappling with a surge in post-pandemic misbehavior and a growing mental health crisis among students. Data from EdWeek reveals that a majority of educators report increased instances of student misbehavior compared to pre-pandemic levels. Studies also indicate that students lost essential socialization skills during school closures.

The spike in classroom outbursts coincides with a broader national youth mental health crisis, as highlighted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Educators on the front lines report having to address behavioral issues and provide emotional support, often interrupting lesson plans and diverting attention from academic instruction.

Wendy Gonzalez, a fourth-grade teacher, observed that many of her students struggled with basic interpersonal skills after spending their formative years in isolation. These are kids who spent most of their formative years – kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, when you’re supposed to be learning social skills – not learning them. They don’t have those social skills,” Gonzalez said.

Brittany Archibald-Swank, another veteran teacher, describes having to pause lessons daily to comfort students struggling with trauma. Many students in her class bring a lot of trauma with them that impacts how they learn and how they react in a school setting, she said late last year.

Teacher Shortages and Declining Morale

The pandemic has also taken a toll on the teaching profession. Frustrated by the challenges of remote learning and other pandemic-related conditions, many educators left their positions, leading to teacher shortages across the nation. A RAND survey from 2021 indicated widespread dissatisfaction among educators, and data from the U.S. Department of Education showed that about 8% of educators left the profession after the 2020-2021 school year.

Research from Lora Bartlett, a professor of education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, suggests that the pandemic hastened a decline in career satisfaction and longevity for teachers. The biggest declines in satisfaction took place in places where teachers described experiencing a lack of support and respect from school leaders and the public during the pandemic and felt that their expertise was often ignored, including in plans to address post-pandemic learning loss, Bartlett wrote in an email.

Additionally, some educators reported that increased political intervention during the pandemic, aimed at curtailing teacher freedom and decision-making, further contributed to their dissatisfaction. These challenges disproportionately affect disadvantaged students, who are more likely to be taught by new teachers, substitutes, or teachers with less training.

To combat teacher shortages, some states have implemented tailored requirements and funded programs to attract individuals to the profession.

The Rise of School Choice

The pandemic fueled a surge in interest in school choice options. Many parents, dissatisfied with public school closures and perceived shortcomings in virtual learning, opted to move their children to alternative educational settings. Data from EdChoice indicates that interest in school choice grew significantly during the pandemic. More than half of the 3,820 parents of school-aged children the group surveyed in 2023 either had considered or were considering a new school at the time.

Some families chose micro schools or other small learning communities, while others moved to charter schools, homeschooling, or private schools that remained open for in-person learning during the pandemic. School choice advocates have capitalized on parental dissatisfaction to promote alternatives to traditional public education.

Several states have since passed legislation that allows families to use public funds for alternative schooling options. President Donald Trump has also elevated the school choice movement, signing an executive order aimed at bolstering school choice programs.

Chronic Absenteeism: A Pressing Problem

Student attendance rates plummeted during the pandemic and have yet to fully recover. Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, increased significantly between 2018 and 2023.

The American Enterprise Institute attributes this trend to the pandemic and its lingering effects. The organization warns that the urgent need to recover from pandemic learning loss will be severely hampered by current rates of chronic absenteeism, making it the most pressing post-pandemic problem in public schools.

In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound and multifaceted impact on American education. From academic setbacks and behavioral challenges to teacher shortages and the rise of school choice, the system is grappling with a complex web of interconnected issues. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach, involving educators, policymakers, parents, and the broader community, to ensure that all students have the opportunity to thrive in the post-pandemic era.