Learning Loss & Recovery

Learn more about declines in academic progress, including summer learning loss, and how schools are getting students back on grade level

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  • Children participate in math activities during the East Providence Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp at Emma G. Whiteknact Elementary School on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Providence R.I.
    Children participate in math activities during the East Providence Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp at Emma G. Whiteknact Elementary School on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Providence, R.I. Studies show post-pandemic summer programs led to small gains in math achievement.
    Sophie Park/AP
    Student Achievement Summer School Can Boost Learning Gains—Even When Programs Aren't Perfect
    Research on 10 districts' post-pandemic summer programs show student improvement in math.
    Sarah Schwartz, January 14, 2026
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    3 min read
    Third-grader Fallon Rawlinson reads a book at Good Springs Elementary School in Good Springs, Nev., on March 30, 2022. For decades, there has been a clash between two schools of thought on how to best teach children to read, with passionate backers on each side of the so-called reading wars. But the approach gaining momentum lately in American classrooms is the so-called science of reading.
    Third-grader Fallon Rawlinson reads a book at Good Springs Elementary School in Good Springs, Nev., on March 30, 2022. Reading scores remain flat after the pandemic, even as scores grow in math—a subject in which performance was initially more affected.
    Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP
    Student Achievement Mounting Evidence Shows National Reading Scores Stuck at Historic Lows
    Math performance has risen, but reading remains at pandemic-era levels, a new analysis shows.
    Sarah Schwartz, October 14, 2025
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    3 min read

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Learning Loss & Recovery: Frequently Asked Questions
How much learning loss was there during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The results of the spring 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress showed the biggest drop in math performance in 4th and 8th grade students since the NAEP test began in the 1990s. Reading scores for 4th and 8th graders were also similar to scores in the 1990s and about a third of students in those grades can’t read at even the test’s “basic” level.
What’s the best way to provide tutoring to students who have unfinished learning?
Research demonstrates that high-impact tutoring works. Schools often struggle with scaling up tutoring, though. Setting aside time in the school day, making sure the tutoring is consistent and high-quality, and training the tutors are all key.
Can technology help to accelerate students’ learning and fill in learning gaps?
According to a 2023 EdWeek Research Center survey of educators, a majority of teachers (66 percent) said that technology has been “somewhat” or “very” effective at helping accelerate student learning.