The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted education globally, leading to widespread school closures and concerns about the long-term consequences on academic achievement, particularly for students from vulnerable backgrounds. While numerous studies have explored the impact of school closures on student performance, findings have been inconsistent, with some showing learning losses and others showing no significant effects. Pre-existing educational inequalities were exacerbated by the pandemic, with students from disadvantaged backgrounds facing longer school closures and reduced access to digital resources and support. This study addresses this gap by examining elementary school teachers' firsthand observations of the pandemic's impact on student learning and access to education. Elementary school teachers were chosen because of their unique, multi-subject instruction and close relationships with their students, providing a valuable perspective on aggregated student performance, especially within the context of limited individual-level data. Moreover, understanding teachers’ experiences during the pandemic is crucial for future educational strategies.

Existing research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning presents a mixed picture. Studies in various countries have revealed learning losses and slower academic growth during the 2020-2021 school year, while others have found no negative effects. A study in the Netherlands, while showing relatively high levels of access to digital resources, still found a decrease in academic performance, particularly among students from less-educated households. The existing literature consistently points to the exacerbation of pre-existing educational inequalities, with students from disadvantaged backgrounds (racial minorities, low-income households, less-educated parents) experiencing more severe learning losses due to factors such as unequal access to technology, prolonged school closures, and limited family support for at-home learning. Estimates of learning loss vary, but synthesis efforts suggest substantial losses, highlighting the need for further research, especially regarding the impact across diverse socioeconomic contexts. Existing research, however, primarily relies on standardized tests and might not fully capture the nuanced impact observed by teachers.

This study employed a quantitative approach using an online survey administered to 911 elementary school teachers in the United States and Canada at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. The Qualtrics online platform was used to reach participants, who were presented with an information letter before starting the survey. Informed consent was obtained via an online checkbox. The survey assessed three main areas: teachers' experiences transitioning to remote learning; the impact of school closures on equitable access to education; and changes in student academic achievement. Data included teachers' prior experience with online teaching, training received, self-rated digital skills, perceived challenges of the transition, effectiveness of online instruction, and future teaching preferences. Regarding student access, the survey examined students' access to technology, class attendance (overall and consistency), content covered compared to typical years, and the availability and type of adult support received during remote learning. Finally, teachers assessed their students' overall performance, performance in specific domains (math, reading/literature, spelling/writing), changes in the achievement gap between high- and low-performing students, and predicted long-term effects of the pandemic. Socioeconomic status (SES) of students was also a key variable in the study. The data was analyzed using various statistical methods including χ², τc, Cramer’s V, ANOVA, and t-tests to determine statistical significance of findings and effect sizes. Tables and graphs display the key results.

The study revealed that while most students had access to digital resources, the transition to remote learning proved challenging for teachers, especially those lacking prior online teaching experience or with poor digital skills. This was particularly true for teachers in classrooms with lower SES students. A significant drop in class attendance (over 65%) was observed, more pronounced in low-income US classrooms. Consistent with other studies, there was a decline in overall student performance (over 50%), although the survey didn't show significantly different learning losses across specific subject domains. The study found a notable increase in the achievement gap between low- and high-performing students (58%), suggesting that students from lower SES levels were more adversely impacted. Teachers' reports consistently indicated that students from lower SES backgrounds had teachers less prepared for online teaching, received less adult support during homeschooling, and had greater drops in performance. A substantial number of teachers predicted long-term negative impacts on students' learning. Figure 3 visually highlights the differences between students from the top and bottom 20% of the SES distribution across several key variables, including adult support, curriculum completion, and long-term effects. Table 3 shows how many teachers reported declines in student performance and widened achievement gaps. Table 1 and 2 provide further detail on the teachers’ experiences and observations on student access to education.

The findings highlight the significant challenges faced by teachers and students during the pandemic-induced school closures. The study confirms that access to technology was not sufficient to ensure equitable educational opportunities. The disproportionate impact on low-income students underscores the exacerbation of existing inequalities, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. The lack of significant difference in learning loss across specific subject domains may be due to limitations of the survey instrument, suggesting potential future research using individual-level data from standardized tests. The consistent interaction between teachers’ reports and students’ SES across multiple variables is a critical finding that calls for further investigation. The study emphasizes the value of incorporating teachers’ perspectives into the assessment of pandemic impacts on learning. This information is crucial for informing policy decisions and resource allocation to mitigate future disruptions.

This study offers valuable insights into the challenges and consequences of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly highlighting the disparate effects based on socioeconomic status. The study underscores the importance of teacher preparedness for future educational disruptions and advocates for targeted support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies tracking the long-term effects and exploring effective interventions to address the widening achievement gap. More granular data on individual students are needed to understand the domain-specific effects of pandemic-induced remote learning.

The observational nature of the data and reliance on teacher reports limit the study's ability to establish causal relationships or draw definitive conclusions about individual student performance. The self-reported nature of SES introduces potential biases, and cross-country comparability of SES measures might not be perfect. The survey’s response options limited a granular understanding of domain-specific learning losses. The study is limited to elementary school teachers in the US and Canada, with results potentially not generalizable to all contexts.