Program Directory

Columbus Metropolitan Club - 1-25-2023 - The Kids AREN'T Alright - Closing COVID's Learning Gap

Few events in U.S. history impacted education like the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic erased years of progress and widened academic performance gaps, and the country is just beginning to understand the scope of the damage. Recently, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the "nation's report card," revealed catastrophic losses in educational attainment across the county, with the biggest drop in math scores ever reported, and reading scores falling to levels not seen since 1992. The loss in reading scores is especially troubling, with studies showing a child's reading proficiency by third grade is a critical determinant of future poverty. According to The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, one in six children not reading proficiently in third grade do not graduate from high school on time, a rate four times greater than that for proficient readers.

What might the pandemic's impact on poverty in America ultimately be, and what action can be taken now with students to minimize its worst future effects?

With an expert panel, CMC digs into the damage done by the pandemic to education and the key initiatives now working to close the COVID elementary-age learning gap in Central Ohio. The discussion will feature Amy Gordon, Executive Director and CEO, Communities In Schools of Ohio, Cheryl Ward, Vice President, Success by Third Grade, United Way of Central Ohio, and Stéphane Lavertu, Ph.D., Professor, Director of Doctoral Studies, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University, with host Eric Karolak, Ph.D., CEO, Action for Children.

January 25, 2023