In authors or contributors

School’s Out: Experimental Evidence on Limiting Learning Loss Using “Low-Tech” in a Pandemic

Resource type
Report
Authors/contributors
Title
School’s Out: Experimental Evidence on Limiting Learning Loss Using “Low-Tech” in a Pandemic
Abstract
Schools closed extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic and occur in other settings, such as teacher strikes and natural disasters. This paper provides some of the first experimental evidence on strategies to minimize learning loss when schools close. We run a randomized trial of low-technology interventions – SMS messages and phone calls – with parents to support their child. The combined treatment cost-effectively improves learning by 0.12 standard deviations. We develop remote assessment innovations, which show robust learning outcomes. Our findings have immediate policy relevance and long-run implications for the role of technology and parents as partial educational substitutes when schooling is disrupted.
Report Number
28205
Report Type
Working Paper
Institution
National Bureau of Economic Research
Date
2020-12
Short Title
School’s Out
Accessed
11/01/2022, 19:05
Library Catalogue
National Bureau of Economic Research
Extra
Series: Working Paper Series DOI: 10.3386/w28205
Citation
Angrist, N., Bergman, P., & Matsheng, M. (2020). School’s Out: Experimental Evidence on Limiting Learning Loss Using “Low-Tech” in a Pandemic (Working Paper No. 28205). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w28205