How to Reverse Pandemic-Related Learning Losses

Published February 22, 2023

Dealing with the profound learning losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic starts with teachers. Unfortunately, improving individual teacher performance remains quite challenging. A more potent solution is to keep and reward the most effective teachers while getting rid of the least effective ones.

Discussion Questions:

1. If Hanushek’s teacher effectiveness solution would help students recover from pandemic-related learning losses, would it also improve the education of later students?
2. With the successes in the teacher effectiveness studies, why is there still such resistance to removing bad teachers and rewarding good ones?

Additional Resources:

• Read “Finding the Best Teachers for Post-Pandemic Schools,” by Eric Hanushek via the Wall Street Journal. Available here.
• Watch “Are Declining Test Scores Coming for the COVID Generation?” with Michael Petrilli. Available here.
• Watch “Overhauling the Nation’s Report Card,” with Chester E. Finn, Jr. Available here.