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Switch to Remote Learning Caused Large Increases in School Dropout and Learning Losses in Brazil

by Noah Carl
28 May 2021 8:38 AM

Back in April, I wrote about a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which found that Dutch students made “made little or no progress while learning from home”. Now researchers have reported a similar finding in Brazil. 

As in the Dutch study, the researchers used rigorous methods to gauge the impact of remote learning on student outcomes. In other words, they didn’t just compare outcomes in 2020 to those the year before.

In São Paulo State (where the study was based) state schools switched to remote learning only at the end of the first quarter, and they continued to teach remotely thereafter. This allowed the researchers to compare the change in outcomes between the first and last quarters of 2020 to the change in outcomes between the same two quarters of 2019.

They looked at two different outcomes: high dropout risk (i.e., whether the student had any math and Portuguese grades on his school record in the relevant quarter), and standardised test scores. When comparing the change in 2020 to the change in 2019, the researchers found large increases in school dropout and learning losses. 

Furthermore, they exploited a natural experiment to gauge the impact of switching back to in-person learning. In the fourth quarter of 2020, some municipalities allowed high-schools but not middle-schools to switch back. This allowed the researchers to compare middle- and high-schools in those municipalities with respect to the change in 2020 versus the change in 2019. 

Consistent with the previous result, they found that switching back to in-person learning was associated with higher standardised test scores. 

In the authors’ own words, their results show that “the societal costs of keeping schools closed in the pandemic are very large”. As such, they argue that “the public debate should move from whether schools should be open or not to how to reopen them safely”.

Tags: BrazilEducationLockdowns

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10 Comments
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mmacg
mmacg
3 years ago

Another candidate paper for Annals of the Bleeding Obvious!

7
0
JustMe
JustMe
3 years ago

Q1. Which is the largest city in the western hemishere?

Q2. Which is the largest city in the southern hemisphere?

Q3. Why do we not know more about this metropolis?

3
0
Cecil B
Cecil B
3 years ago

If I stare hard and long enough I can see the face of Jesus on the white board

Anyone else seeing that?

0
0
Julian
Julian
3 years ago

“How to reopen them safely”. Oh dear.

Incidentally, from what people locally tell me, lots of secondary school age kids still testing themselves, people positive, year groups sent home. So schools are not fully open.

4
0
realarthurdent
realarthurdent
3 years ago

Speaking personally, even though both myself and Mrs Dent were at home to “home school” or two primary school age chiildren, their education definitely suffered. And their behaviour suffered to. It’s been notable how much faster their learning has progressed since they’ve been back at proper school.

Our kids are young so COVID will be a minor blip in their learning history and in any case they fared much better than children stuck in a city flat with two working parents, but I feel very sad and angry about the impact the botched pandemic response has had on secondary school children, especially those sitting exams.

4
-1
Sandra Barwick
Sandra Barwick
3 years ago

The evidence is immaterial. The threat of closing schools again will be used, because it is a powerful weapon, parents were in despair, to coerce the vaccination of children this autumn. It will be used along with “a new variant which is especiallydangerous to children”.

4
0
Catee
Catee
3 years ago

Interestingly my grandsons ‘learning’ increased during his enforced time at home and he has regressed since returning, we are now looking at home educating permanently.

1
-1
PoshPanic
PoshPanic
3 years ago

Lesson no.35 for future pandemics:

Don’t let rich people destroy poor children’s lives

3
0
Attaboy
Attaboy
3 years ago

the destruction of the middle class means destruction of education and opporrunity too.. not only are small businesses ruined or close to being ruined but destroying the future of children is exactly what this regime wants… its all part of the same thing

6
-1
Hester
Hester
3 years ago

Reassuring to learn that disdain and contempt for children is not just confined to the British Government

1
0

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