The combination of family disruptions, closures of schools, and rapid transition to remote learning resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic substantially reduced achievement growth for many students, particularly students experiencing vulnerabilities. What is not currently known, however, is why some students fared better than others in a remote learning environment and the impact of recovery strategies implemented by school districts on student outcomes. This project will utilize parent/guardian and principal surveys and rich longitudinal data on students and teachers in three metro-Atlanta school districts that collectively serve nearly 250,000 students to examine the factors associated with higher achievement growth in remote instruction and the relationship between specific recovery efforts and multiple student outcomes.

The findings from this project will not only provide short-run benefits to education agencies working to accelerate student learning but also provide important insights to guide future research and practice as remote learning becomes a more important element in the post-pandemic educational landscape. The project will produce two-page policy briefs and rapid-response presentations of research findings for district and state leaders and will make the policy briefs available to the public. The project will also create longer research reports for district research staff, state agencies, and non-profit educational organizations who want a more in-depth analysis and make these available to the public. For academic audiences, the project will produce full-length research manuscripts that we will present at conferences and submit to peer-reviewed journals for publication.