Paulette Chaffee Comments on the Eye-Opening GAO Report Detailing Pandemic-Related Student Learning Loss

Lifelong educator Paulette Chaffee says there are many things to learn from the recent Government Accountability Office report.

FULLERTON, CA, USA, August 16, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The pandemic has had an overwhelming effect on people all across life. But, according to lifelong educator Paulette Chaffee, a new report released by the Government Accountability Office reveals its rather alarming impact on students.

According to the report, more than 60% of all teachers said students ended the school year in 2020-2021 behind the point they'd usually be if it weren't for the pandemic. As Paulette Chaffee points out, being behind at the end of a school year can profoundly affect younger students.

The GAO report polled more than 2,800 K-12 teachers across the country to examine the impact the pandemic had on trauma and learning loss for both students and teachers. The report concluded that distance learning resulted in some students excelling, but many suffered emotional and academic setbacks that may not be overcome for years.

Paulette Chaffee knows first-hand the importance of educational progress and retaining knowledge from one school year to the next. She says this is especially important at a young age.

Paulette Chaffee has worked as a speech therapist and teacher in public schools and as a speech therapist in hospitals and clinics. She earned both her bachelor’s and master's degrees from the University of Redlands in Communicative Disorders and has earned a California Lifetime Teaching Credential.

It's not altogether surprising, according to Paulette Chaffee, that students experienced some learning loss as a result of the pandemic. The normal day-to-day educational process changed dramatically, with students in many areas forced to do their schooling fully remote for a period of time.

Even when the schools re-opened, some remained on a hybrid remote schedule. Other students were forced to flip flop between at-home and in-person schooling depending on if they, a classmate, or a close contact tested positive for COVID-19.

The fact that so many teachers reported a learning loss at the end of the 2020-2021 school year should be eye-opening to many people, Paulette Chaffee says.

The GAO report released recently was part of a series of reports the office is conducting that seek to examine the full impact of the pandemic. It was commissioned as part of the CARES Act, which was signed into law in March 2020.

The report recommended that teachers and students be provided additional mental health services where needed. It also recommended school districts create practices to increase accountability for student attendance, reduce class sizes where available, and dedicate certain staff members to communicate directly with families.

Jessica Brown
Mercury News Media
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