You’ve likely heard the term learning loss. The phrase is tossed around with not-so-subtle nuances of alarm and stark images of children falling behind. But you may not know exactly what key stakeholder groups in education mean by learning loss.
Educators, policymakers, and families discuss summer learning loss, summer slide, Covid-related learning loss, absence-related learning loss, disrupted learning, unfinished learning, and missed instruction. It can be difficult to untangle what is meant by each of these terms. The U.S. Department of Education uses the term summer slide to refer to a lack of education activities during the summer and refers to lost instructional time to specifically address the academic impact of Covid-19 on K-12 students.2020 American Educational Research Journal study
exploring achievement inequality found summer learning outcomes “vary dramatically from child to child.” Approximately half of students demonstrated summer learning loss while others showed learning gains. As students return to a home environment during a traditional school schedule, summer slide outcomes can vary based on factors including home and summer activities, parental involvement and expectations, and socioeconomic status.
In 2023, any anticipated summer slide has been complicated by Covid-related factors that were not a part of the equation before the pandemic. Regardless of which “the kids are behind” phrase you choose, it is clear that American students are not where they would have been or should be—academically, socially, emotionally—after three disrupted, formative years.