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Pundits blaming school closures last year for all the academic challenges students are facing now, and will face in future is becoming a common refrain.

Of course, the fact that there is no evidence supporting their position won’t get in the way of their making that argument.

Extensive, and commonly accepted, research has found that at least sixty percent of the factors influencing student achievement are found outside the schoolhouse walls.

One doesn’t have to be a mathematician to look at that number and conclude that pandemic stresses influenced our students far more than remote teaching.

For a more extensive discussion of all of this, check out my recent Education Week column, No, Temporarily Closing Schools Is Not Like Invading Iraq, where researcher Cara Jackson lays it out plainly.

Or, check out Trying To Bring Research, Sanity, Teacher Expertise & Student Voice To The “Learning Loss” Discussion.

You can also see CRITICAL – & I MEAN CRITICAL – POINT ABOUT “LEARNING LOSS” THAT IS BEING…..LOST and The Best Places To Learn What Impact A Teacher (& Outside Factors) Have On Student Achievement.