Elementary schoolers face in-person learning, behavior setbacks

Health in 2015 reported that kindergarten-aged children with better emotional skills are more likely to hold a full-time job 20 years later.

BY AARON STEVENS staff writer

As a result of over a year of distance learning, younger students have been hit hard by learning setbacks. The Brookings Institute reported that across the United States, math test scores dropped more when compared with students who had experienced other significant disruptions in learning, such as those evacuated following Hurricane Katrina.

Many Berkeley teachers report ongoing struggles with the impact of distance learning as it has changed students both academically and behaviorally.

“Kids who were behind in reading in the lower grades, kindergarten, first, second -grade, they did not get the support they needed. They were trying to do distance learning without knowing how to read,” said Leila Clark-Riddell, a third grade teacher at Washington Elementary School.

Reading scores in elementary schoolers have dropped significantly compared to pre-pandemic levels, with the highest drops in reading since the year 1990 occurring in 9-year-olds, as reported by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

“I’m not someone who thinks we should be stressing this notion of ‘learning loss’ that is largely driven by the for-profit testing industry,

WEBER-STOVER

but it’s clear that much was lost in the year we were not able to come together on school campuses,” said CAS History teacher Stephanie Schaudel. “For me, the loss of concern is what I’ve already spoken about: that loss of connection, potential for new friendships, and trust-building that happens in classrooms and learning communities.”

A primary outcome of elementary education is not just the development of academic skills but also learning how to socialize. Developing good socialization skills in elementary school leads to higher academic performance in later years.

A study published in the American Journal of Public