The COVID-19 pandemic caused a global disruption to just about everything, including education. Millions of children missed out on classroom learning, and for many students and teachers virtual learning just wasn’t as effective. This was largely due to a lack of remote training for educators, some students lacking the appropriate software and access to the internet to engage remotely, and a general difficulty for working parents to be at home to help their children navigate this sudden new learning format. By the end of the 2020-2021 school year, students in grades K-12 were on average behind in math by five months and in reading by four months, according to a July 2021 McKinsey & Company report.
