Cited by 99Education during COVID-19 pandemicSchool Choice and PerformancePoverty, Education, and Child Welfare

When the Great Equalizer Shuts Down: Schools, Peers, and Parents in Pandemic Times

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Agostinelli, Francesco, Doepke, Matthias, Sorrenti, Giuseppe, Zilibotti, Fabrizio·2020·National Bureau of Economic Research

Abstract

What are the effects of school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic on children's education?Online education is an imperfect substitute for in-person learning, particularly for children from low-income families.Peer effects also change: schools allow children from different socioeconomic backgrounds to mix together, and this effect is lost when schools are closed.Another factor is the response of parents, some of whom compensate for the changed environment through their own efforts, while others are unable to do so.We examine the interaction of these factors with the aid of a structural model of skill formation.We find that school closures have a large and persistent effect on educational outcomes that is highly unequal.High school students from poor neighborhoods suffer a learning loss of 0.4 standard deviations, whereas children from rich neighborhoods remain unscathed.The channels operating through schools, peers, and parents all contribute to growing educational inequality during the pandemic.

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  • The results confirm the fears held by many that school closures would cause socioeconomic gaps to widen.

    “Our results show that learning loss was particularly pronounced for students from disadvantaged homes, confirming the fears held by many that school closures would cause socioeconomic gaps to widen (51 –55).”

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  1. Epple, Denis, and Richard E. Romano. 2011. "Peer Effects in Education: A Survey of the Theory and Evidence." In Handbook of Social Economics, edited by Jess Benhabib, Alberto Bisin, and Matthew O. Jackson, Volume 1, 1053- 1163. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

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Authors
Agostinelli, F., Doepke, M., Sorrenti, G., & Zilibotti, F.
Affiliations
Northwestern University (US)
Venue
National Bureau of Economic Research
Published
2020-12
OpenAlex
W3115822693
Cited by
97
References
35
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 37 · 2020: 2
Type
report
Language
en
Open access
Locations
National Bureau of Economic Research (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Education during COVID-19 pandemic
  • Social Sciences › Education › School Choice and Performance
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare
Keywords
school closures, COVID-19 pandemic, educational inequality, learning loss, online learning, peer effects, parental involvement, skill development, low-income households, neighborhood income, high school students

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