TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Gajderowicz, Tomasz
AU  - Jakubowski, Maciej
AU  - Kennedy, Alec
AU  - Christrup, Christian
AU  - Patrinos, Harry Anthony
AU  - Strietholt, Rolf
        TI  - The Learning Crisis: Three Years After COVID-19
        PY  - 2024/Dec/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 17550
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp17550
        AB  - The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions to education, with school closures affecting over one billion children. These closures, aimed at reducing virus transmission, resulted in significant learning losses, particularly in mathematics and science. Using data from TIMSS 2023, which assesses fourth and eighth-grade achievements across 71 education systems, this study analyzes the impact of school closure duration on learning outcomes. Mixed-effect models estimate deviations from pre-pandemic trends, adjusting for demographic factors. Results show a global average decline of 0.11 standard deviations (SD) in student achievement, with longer closures linked to more severe losses. The effects on low performers, girls, and linguistic minorities show effect sizes up to 0.22 SD. These findings highlight the lasting impact of school closures and emphasize the need for targeted recovery strategies and international cooperation to promote equitable educational outcomes post-pandemic.
        KW  - pandemics
KW  - human capital
KW  - returns to education
KW  - labor markets
KW  - COVID-19
        ER  -