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The Impact of COVID-19 on the American Education System
The COVID-19 pandemic was an unavoidable reality that shaped our lives for a few years. It
had a huge impact on every part of society, especially the American education system. The
pandemic forced schools nationwide to shut their doors in 2020 (Chen et al, 2022. Para. 30).
After schools shut down students had to continue their education from home via virtual classes
and remote assignments. It was a huge shift in education that affected students in many different
ways. There were many disadvantages to students having to do school online instead of in a
classroom because of the pandemic. Many students lacked resources to complete their work such
as computers and internet access. They also needed a better structure or set schedule to help with
learning (Chen et al, 2022. para. 30/32). Attendance and academic performance declined after
going back to school in person. The COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental effect on America's
education system, significantly disrupting the learning experiences of some students and causing
students to struggle with their schoolwork, while also leading to a decrease in test scores and the
next school year’s enrollment.
The pandemic forced students to learn and complete schoolwork at home leaving many
without the right resources needed to do this. Research showed without the right resources, some
students struggled to keep learning and complete their schoolwork. “During the pandemic, low-
income families tended to have less access to reliable internet and devices compared with high-
income families in the same city” (Albornoz et al, 2023. para. 3). While some students had
money to buy resources to help with their learning experience, others did not, causing them to
fall behind academically. “Consequently, children from less privileged households spent fewer
hours learning and were more likely to drop out of school” (Albornoz et al, 2023. para. 3).
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Students who lacked resources became frustrated and discouraged which led to students not
wanting to do their schoolwork or dropping out. Although some students lacked resources, most
schools provided Chromebooks and other laptops so students could complete their work.“Nearly
48 percent of districts with the highest concentrations of low-income families indicated they
planned to distribute computers” (Lake & Makori, 2020. para.12). Internet companies also
provided some students with free wifi. (Herold, 2021. para.12). Many believe online learning
allows flexibility for students to learn at their own pace and find better tools to help maximize
their learning experience. It gives students “access to resources and materials that may be
physically located anywhere in the world” (USI, 2022. para.8). Although that may be true,
COVID-19 not only changed how students learned but also led to a decrease in two important
parts of education.
Fewer students enrolled and achieved lower test scores in the next academic year due to the
educational challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “In both math and reading, students
scored lower than those tested in 2019. But while reading scores dipped, math scores plummeted
by the largest margins in the history of the NAEP test, which began in 1969” (Binkley, 2022.
para 8). The COVID-19 pandemic drastically impacted academic performance, as students who
had transitioned to remote learning struggled to understand work and tests when returning to the
classroom, as noted by Binkley (2022). Research shows “ there were substantial declines in
public school enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-21 and 2021-22 school years).
Over the pandemic—between the 2018-19 and 2021-22 school years—about 12 percent of public
elementary schools and 9 percent of middle schools experienced such a decline” (Burtis &
Goulas, 2023. para. 3). As Burtin and Goulas (2023) explained, enrollment in the next school
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year after schools shut down decreased in elementary and middle schools compared to the 2019
school year. As students returned to the classroom, the temporary decline in test results allowed
teachers to identify areas where their students required additional support. Despite a minor
decline in the next year’s enrollment, the change was not significant. Many students wanted to
continue their studies remotely, preferring the flexibility of working from home. These students
believed online learning was easier and just as good as learning in the classroom. While test
scores and student enrollment declined the following year, some argue that remote instruction
during the COVID-19 pandemic was not detrimental.
Opponents argue online learning during COVID-19 provided better resources and materials,
gave students better flexibility, and was just as good as learning in a classroom. Although this
has been argued research shows COVID-19 affected student learning negatively and led to
students falling behind academically. “Affected students recovered 20–30% of the lost ground in
the first year, but then made no further recovery in the subsequent three to four years” (Harvard,
2023. para. 13). Teachers also did not have enough time to create a new way of teaching from
leaving the classroom to going online. Teachers were unprepared for the shift to online learning,
lacking the necessary teaching techniques and technology skills. Likewise, students had
difficulty adapting to this new online learning environment (Pietro, 2023. para. 2). Students did
not receive face-to-face assistance from teachers when they needed help as they would in a
classroom. Face-to-face learning allows students to “access more information and richer
understanding through teacher and other student’s body language and voice” (NC, 2023. para. 5).
Despite the benefits of online learning expressed by opposing views, research on online learning
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during the pandemic reveals that COVID-19 significantly disrupted the American education
system.
In conclusion, some students could not complete their work or continue learning because they
did not have the right resources. Teachers also were unable to successfully create a new learning
style to help with online learning because schools shut down without warning or time to do so.
Consequently, test scores and enrollment for the next year decreased because of challenges faced
in online learning during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the
American education system causing major disruptions to students' learning experiences, leading
to a decline in test performance, and a drop in enrollment for the following academic year.
Returning to in-person education after remote learning does not guarantee academic
improvement for students. To address the learning setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,
students require access to enhanced support programs beyond the classroom setting. This can
play a crucial role in helping them recover and progress academically.
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References:
Binkley, C. (2022, October 24) Test Scores Show How COVID Set Kids Back Across the U.S.,
PBS News
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/test-scores-show-how-covid-set-kids-back-across-the-
u-s
Burtis, E., Goulas, S. (2023, October 12) Declining School Enrollment Since the Pandemic,
Brookings
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/declining-school-enrollment-since-the-pandemic/
#:~:text=We%20find%20that%20there%20were,schools%20experienced%20such%20a
%20decline.
Chen, C. Y., Byrne, E., & Vélez, T. (2022). Impact of the 2020 pandemic of COVID-19 on
Families with School-aged Children in the United States: Roles of Income Level and Race.
Journal of Family Issues, 43(3), 719–740.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7957335/
Cortés-Albornoz, M. C., Ramírez-Guerrero, S., García-Guáqueta, D. P., Vélez-Van-Meerbeke,
A., & Talero-Gutiérrez, C. (2023). Effects of remote learning during COVID-19 lockdown on
children's learning abilities and school performance: A systematic review. International journal
of educational development, 101, 102835.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10266495/
Di Pietro G. (2023). The impact of Covid-19 on student achievement: Evidence from a recent
meta-analysis. Educational research review, 39, 100530.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10028259/
Harvard. (2023, May 11) New Data Shows How The Pandemic Affected Learning Across Whole
Communities
https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/23/05/new-data-show-how-pandemic-affected-learning-
across-whole-communities
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Herold, B. (2021, March 10) Millions of Students Got Free Home Internet for Remote Learning.
How Long Will it Last?, Education Week
https://www.edweek.org/technology/millions-of-students-got-free-home-internet-for-remote-
learning-how-long-will-it-last/2021/03
Lake, R., Makori, A. (2020, June) The Digital Divide Among Students During COVID-19: Who
Has Access? Who Doesn’t?, Arizona State University
https://crpe.org/the-digital-divide-among-students-during-covid-19-who-has-access-who-doesnt/
Notherthen College. (2024, March 16) Why We Champion Face-to-Face Learning
https://www.northern.ac.uk/why-we-champion-face-to-face-learning/
University of Illinois Springfield (2022) Strengths and Weaknesses of Online Learning
https://www.uis.edu/ion/resources/tutorials/overview/strengths-weaknesses
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