Learning in a Pandemic: An Analysis of the Impact of COVID-19 And Subsequent Public Health Measures On SES-Related Disparities Regarding Educational Attainment for Elementary School Students in the United States

Abstract

This thesis investigates what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on SES-related disparities regarding educational attainment for elementary school students in the United States. I do so by examining the research regarding neurocognitive development and the environmental conditions that support the development of cognitive capabilities and executive function. I then discuss the research regarding the mechanisms of which SES impacts educational attainment in the pre-COVID-19 era. This allows us to understand how the gap has arisen before COVID, and provides the foundation for my discussion of how these mechanisms have been impacted by the pandemic and what new mechanisms have been introduced due to school closures and virtual learning. I then conduct a quantitative analysis of the Opportunity Insights Economic Tracker which provides data regarding Math Learning of elementary schools students from January 2019 until April 2022. The results suggest that the pandemic and the subsequent public health measures caused the SES educational attainment gap to widen, since the pandemic caused greater stress, under stimulation, social isolation and allowed inter-home inequalities to play a greater role in widening this gap. The thesis concludes with a policy recommendation for how policymakers can reduce this gap and prevent it from continuing to widen.