Roughly five years have passed since schools shut down and turned to remote learning in the United States — but the pandemic’s toll on education lingers. Students are still behind where they would have been academically. Eighth grade math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as NAEP, fell by 8 points between 2019 and 2022, and for students in the bottom 10 percent on that test, learning losses grew 70 percent larger between 2022 and 2024. Behavioral problems and mental health issues, which surged during the pandemic, remain persistent challenges. Some children never went back to school at all.
The pandemic spurred the formation of activist groups, exacerbated teacher dissatisfaction and child care staffing shortages, and powered a shift to ongoing remote learning. We know these changes have affected parents, students and educators, and now we need to hear from you.
READ: 10 lives, 5 years later: How the pandemic altered the futures of these parents, kids and educators
We want to know how the pandemic changed education in your life and community. Fill out the form below to share your experiences with our staff. If you prefer email, you can write to us at editor@hechingerreport.org. We may publish your submission on our website.
Here are a few questions you can respond to when writing to us:
- How did the pandemic change your (or your child’s) educational trajectory?
- What was it like when you first learned your school district or university was moving to remote learning?
- Are you still feeling the effects of the pandemic? How?
This story about remote learning was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for our newsletters.
Since you made it to the bottom of this article, we have a small favor to ask.
If you believe stories like the one you just finished matter, please consider pitching in what you can. This effort helps ensure our reporting and resources stay free and accessible to everyone—teachers, parents, policymakers—invested in the future of education.
Thank you.
Liz Willen
Editor in chief
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
