It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted students’ academic performance and mental and physical health. Policymakers and the American public need a complete understanding of how the pandemic affected students in order to ensure that students are best supported moving forward.
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) reintroduced the Assessing Children’s Academic Development and the Emotional and Mental Health Implications of COVID-19 (ACADEMIC) Act to authorize the U.S. Department of Education, in coordination with other relevant federal agencies, to include a new longitudinal component on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student outcomes and well-being to an existing longitudinal educational study. This legislation would require a measure of the long-term impact from COVID-related school closures, remote learning, and other factors on pre-kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school students, including academic achievement (learning loss); social-emotional well-being; and mental, behavioral, and physical health.
- “COVID disrupted the lives of students across the country, and we are only beginning to see the harm done to our kids. Understanding the pandemic’s long-term impact on students’ academic achievements and well-being is critical to avoiding future mistakes and correcting the ones we’ve made.” – Senator Rubio
