Closing the Learning Gap: How Schools Can Help Students Recover From Opportunity Loss 

Research shows that across the country, K-12 students continue to struggle with opportunity loss following the pandemic.

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data released in October 2022 revealed the most significant drops in math test scores since 1990. Average reading scores showed consistent — albeit less dramatic — dips.

Like most districts, Dallas Independent School District (DISD) saw a decline in outcomes when learners returned to the classroom. Our assessment results illustrated substantial differences between how DISD students had performed before and after pandemic-induced school closures.

Many grades experienced double-digit decreases in STAAR test results, which measure the percentage of pupils approaching, meeting and mastering grade-level math and reading. Echoing a national pattern, students were hit the hardest in math. Those in middle school — where the subject becomes much more complex — saw the biggest losses.

Digital Resource Distribution

In many ways, COVID-19 was a wake-up call for the education sector. As an industry, our trajectory toward using technology has been slow. Then, almost overnight, teachers and students were asked to adapt to a virtual environment.

Studying online is not an inherently flawed way to learn. That said, in 2020, teachers who had been working in the classroom for years were suddenly required to digitize their curriculums. For students, who often lack the digital literacy that adults develop in the workplace, there was a steep learning curve to navigate — along with barriers to access.

When DISD transitioned to a simultaneous instruction platform in 2020, many of our pupils didn’t have devices or reliable internet. It quickly became apparent that African American and Latino/a families were disproportionately excluded.

In response, DISD collaborated with local, state and national government entities to launch Operation Connectivity, a partnership to connect all of Texas’s 5.5 million public school students with devices and reliable no- or low-cost broadband connection.

Existing Inequality

COVID-19 provided a chance to look closely at equity in resource allocation. It also emphasized how we can assist students in developing the skills they will need post-graduation — like using computers to meet, work and communicate.

The pandemic revealed other systemic issues, too. At-risk students were the most likely to struggle in remote learning and suffer from a lack of resources. And families rely on schools for more than just education. School districts must also pay attention to community access to healthcare, food and housing.

Our pupils are not all starting from the same point, and schools have a role to play in promoting youth and family well-being. One of the most critical early steps we took at DISD was to set up a grab-and-go meal program. Over six months, around 10,000 families used our services to pick up groceries. Over a six-month period — starting in March of 2020 when school buildings closed — Dallas ISD Food and Child Nutrition Services prepared and served over eight million meals to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A Trauma-informed Response

Recognizing that academic progress is tightly entwined with community needs and mental wellness has been important for our district.

DISD has mental health commissions and counselors at most campuses, and we are taking a trauma-informed approach to care. Many of our students experienced considerable emotional distress during COVID-19. We can’t expect them to simply bounce back.

Overall, DISD has been relatively quick to recover from pandemic-induced opportunity loss. Our students have rebounded to almost pre-COVID levels of math and reading proficiency, and we are already nearing our original targets. In large part, I attribute that to our ongoing recognition of — and investment in — social, emotional and mental health.

“Extra Dosage” Interventions

In the classroom, DISD has put in motion several initiatives to ensure that unfinished instruction does not prevent students from reaching their potential.

In 2020, we launched Reading Academies, a program designed to train K-3 teachers in the science of teaching reading and foundational literacy skills. Classrooms with teachers who have finished the program are already exhibiting elevated performance. These early learning investments will build a solid foundation for younger students, setting them up for later success.

“Extra dosage” interventions can repair gaps in learning without causing further disruptions. Rather than holding students back, we’re helping them return to on-grade-level education by providing targeted support for any missed instruction while continuing their established curriculum. We also introduced a team of reading interventionists: specially-trained teachers who work with struggling learners — particularly those with gaps in foundational literacy — four times a week.

New Career Pathways

The pandemic hasn’t only impacted elementary and middle-school pupils. It has left high schoolers worrying about post-graduation outcomes. DISD has been intentional about building differentiated pathways for young adults. In addition to continuing to serve students with preparatory programs and advanced placement classes, we offer differentiated college and career tracks.

Our Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program lets students take tuition-free courses that nurture academic, technical and workplace skills that are attractive to employers. Participating scholars can earn up to 60 credit hours or an associate’s degree, along with professional certificates, before moving into the workforce or continuing their studies in a four-year program. As a result, more than 1,100 students graduated with an associate’s degree or more than 45 credit hours in 2022.

Our career institutes provide access to classes, projects and experiential learning opportunities that prepare students to enter high-demand, well-paying positions in local job markets, such as cybersecurity and aviation.

By providing our scholars with accelerated pathways to degree completion and the workforce, we’re giving them the tools to rebound from the volatility of the pandemic years and pursue fulfilling careers.

A Resilient System

The pandemic revealed opportunities to strengthen our teaching and learning methods. We now have more information about where disparities exist and how to fix them.

It has highlighted areas where we need to be more creative as educators, too. By asking the right questions about what students need to be successful, we can start to craft solutions that could transform how we teach and learn.

For pre-college students, that might mean establishing new opportunities to graduate with strong resumes and real-world experience. And for those learners most affected by unfinished instruction, supplementary, one-on-one support can close the gap.

Schools will feel the repercussions of opportunity loss for years to come — not only because of the pandemic but because of the inequalities it exacerbated.

Addressing this will take commitment and flexibility from educators and administrators. To that end, our district was fortunate to welcome Dr. Stephanie Elizalde — an exceptional leader focused on equity — as our new superintendent at precisely the right time.

While DISD pupils are already demonstrating remarkable recoveries, we still have much work ahead of us. Now, more than ever, every year needs to count. By investing in high-impact programs that help today’s students thrive, we can boost the resiliency of our education system for good.