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Learning loss one year after school closures: Evidence from the Basque Country

Author

Listed:
  • Andreu Arenas

    (University of Barcelona, IEB and IPErG)

  • Lucas Gortazar

    (ESADE EcPol and World Bank)

Abstract

We use census data on external assessments in primary and secondary school in the Basque Country (Spain) to estimate learning losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021, one year after school closures, which lasted from March to June 2020. Differences-in-differences with student and school-by-grade fixed effects show an average learning loss of 0.045 standard deviations, an effect which is smaller than short-run effects estimated by previous papers, and estimated after 6 months of one of the most successful school reopening campaigns among OECD countries. The effect is larger in Mathematics, moderate in Basque language, and none in Spanish language. Controlling for socioeconomic differences, learning losses are especially large in public schools, and also in private schools with a high percentage of low-performing students. On the other hand, we find a regression to the mean within schools, possibly due to a compressed currículum during the whole period. Finally, we show that students’ with higher learning losses self- report significantly worse levels of socio-emotional well- being due to the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Andreu Arenas & Lucas Gortazar, 2022. "Learning loss one year after school closures: Evidence from the Basque Country," Working Papers 2022/03, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    • Handle: RePEc:ieb:wpaper:doc2022-03
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    File URL: https://ieb.ub.edu/en/publication/2022-03-learning-loss-one-year-after-school-closures-evidence-from-the-basque-country/
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Patrinos,Harry Anthony & Vegas,Emiliana & Carter-Rau,Rohan, 2022. "An Analysis of COVID-19 Student Learning Loss," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10033, The World Bank.
    2. Schnepf, Sylke V. & Granato, Silvia, 2023. "COVID-19 and the European Education Performance Decline: A Focus on Primary School Children's Reading Achievement between 2016 and 2021," IZA Discussion Papers 16531, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Bastian A. Betthäuser & Anders M. Bach-Mortensen & Per Engzell, 2023. "A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 7(3), pages 375-385, March.
    4. ASAKAWA Shinsuke & OHTAKE Fumio & SANO Shinpei, 2023. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Academic Achievement of Elementary and Junior High School Students: Analysis using administrative data from Amagasaki City," Discussion papers 23066, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Education; learning loss; COVID-19; socio-emotional wellbeing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare

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