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The Learning Crisis in the United States Three Years After COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Patrinos, Harry Anthony

    (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville)

  • Jakubowski, Maciej

    (University of Warsaw)

  • Gajderowicz, Tomasz

    (University of Warsaw)

Abstract

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 United States data from TIMSS, this study analyzes the impact of school closure on learning outcomes. The losses amount to 0.36 SD for mathematics and 0.16 SD for science. The declines are similar across grades. The average decline in mathematics performance among U.S. students is substantially greater than the global average. n science, the decline observed among U.S. students does not significantly differ from the global trend. Girls experienced greater deviations from long-term trends than boys across both subjects and grade levels, reversing long term trends that once favored girls. Robustness checks confirm that pandemic-related school closures caused the decline in mathematics, while the downturn in science had already begun before COVID-19.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrinos, Harry Anthony & Jakubowski, Maciej & Gajderowicz, Tomasz, 2025. "The Learning Crisis in the United States Three Years After COVID-19," IZA Discussion Papers 17755, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17755
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    pandemics; human capital; returns to education; labor markets; COVID-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J17 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Value of Life; Foregone Income
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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