Work

The legacy of Covid-19 in education

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: If school closures and social-distancing experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic impeded children’s skill development, they may leave a lasting legacy in human capital. Our parental survey during the second German school lockdown provides new measures of socio-emotional development and panel evidence on how students’ time use and educational inputs adapted over time. Children’s learning time decreased severely during the first school closures, particularly for low-achieving students, and increased only slightly 1 year later. In a value-added model, learning time increases with daily online class instruction, but not with other school activities. Parental assessments of children’s socio-emotional development are mixed. Discussing our findings in light of the emerging literature on substantial achievement losses, we conclude that unless remediated, the school closures will persistently increase inequality and reduce skill development, lifetime income and economic growth.

Source: Economic Policy

DOI: 10.1093/epolic/eiad016

Authors: Katharina Werner, Ludger Woessmann

Institutions: Hoover Institution, Ifo Institute for Economic Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Stanford University

Language: English

Topic: Education during COVID-19 pandemic

Subfield: Education

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Reduced inequalities, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W3209849946

FWCI: 54.1

Cites: 92

Cited by: 100

Related to: 10