#  Some School Districts Saw More Learning Loss During the Pandemic. Researchers Want to Know Why 

 





Professor Tom Kane and researchers studied why entire districts, not individual student groups, lost ground during the COVID-19 pandemic.



 

December 05, 2025

 

 

 Ryan Nagelhout 

A [recent study](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/01614681251369937) cosponsored by the [National Center for Education Statistics](https://nces.ed.gov/) (NCES) and conducted by Professor [Thomas Kane](https://www.gse.harvard.edu/directory/faculty/thomas-kane) and researchers from Stanford, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Chicago explored the varying impact remote learning and other pandemic-era policies had on student test scores.

The researchers, including Stanford economist [Sean Reardon](https://ed.stanford.edu/faculty/seanreardon), Ed.M.’92, Ed.D.’97, studied data from 7,800 different school districts in 41 states to determine which districts saw declining test scores, which student demographics were impacted the most, and what factors may have impacted those numbers.

“Although pandemic-focused recovery efforts have dwindled, the unfinished learning remains in many states and communities,” the study explains. “Identifying where students experienced the highest rates of unfinished learning compared to their peers and probing why some communities realized different learning outcomes compared to others can help states design the next wave of educational reforms.”

*Continue reading at* [*gse.harvard.edu*](https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/25/12/some-school-districts-saw-more-learning-loss-during-pandemic-researchers-want-know)



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ COVID-19 Impact ](/focus-areas/covid-19-impact)
- [ In the News ](/cepr-in-the-news)
- [ Education Recovery Scorecard ](/projects/education-recovery-scorecard)
- [ 2025 ](/year/2025)
- [ K12 ](/sector/k12)
 
 

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