Effects of Pandemic-Related School Closures on Pupils' Performance and Learning in Selected Countries: A Rapid Review

Summary: School closures during the pandemic in the Netherlands led to a learning loss of about 3 percentile points or 0.08 standard deviations for primary school students, with a larger impact on students from less-educated homes. The study suggests that the effect is due to the cumulative impact of learned knowledge rather than temporary influences.

Summary: The study found that during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland, primary school students experienced a slowdown in learning pace and an increase in interindividual variance in learning gains, while secondary school students were less affected in terms of learning gains. Distance learning arrangements appear to be an effective substitute for in-person learning in emergency situations, but not all students benefit equally.