COVID-19 Learning Loss and Recovery in Brazil - Assessing Gaps Across Social Groups

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

Students across more than 150 countries experienced school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting a large research effort to estimate effects on student learning. Using a difference-in-differences framework, the study evaluates causal evidence for Brazil. Results indicate school closures caused math learning losses for high-school seniors in public schools in the Federal District (DF). While all racial groups declined, White and Asian students showed the largest losses in 2020, and no recovery emerged from 2020 to 2021.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research approach (difference-in-differences)

Key findings on learning loss and recovery

| education policy analysis archives
A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal | | | --- | --- | | Arizona State University | | | Volume 32 Number 1 January 16 , 2024 ISSN 1068-2341 | | COVID-19 Learning Loss and Recovery in Brazil: Assessing Gaps Across Social Groups Eveline de Medeiros Miranda University of Southern Mississippi United States & Donald R. Baum Brigham Young University United States Citation: Miranda, E. M., & Baum, D. R. (2024). COVID-19 learning loss and recovery in Brazil: Assessing gaps across social groups. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 32(1) . [https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.32.8082](https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.32.8082) Abstract: Students in over 150 countries experienced school closures throughout the COVID- 19 pandemic. In the years following, a growing body of literature seeks to estimate the impacts of these education disruptions on a diverse set of outcomes, including student learning. This article adds to this research by examining causal evidence through a difference-in-differences framework (DID). Results suggest that school closures led to learning losses in math for highschool seniors in public schools in the Federal District (DF) in Brazil. And while all racial groups experienced learning loss, White and Asian students experienced the most significant losses in 2020. We find no evidence of learning recovery from 2020 to 2021 for any racial groups, suggesting that learning losses persisted into school reopening. We do find, however, possible signs of recovery for female senior students compared to male students. Nevertheless, male and female performance differences are still prominent when analyzing data from 2016 to 2021. The utilization of critical policy analysis and the effectively maintained inequality frameworks can offer insights into significant learning disparities experienced by students. Keywords: learning loss; COVID-19; difference-in-differences; recovery La pérdida y recuperación del aprendizaje por COVID-19 en Brasil: Evaluación de las brechas entre grupos sociales Resumen: Los estudiantes de más de 150 países experimentaron el cierre de escuelas durante lapandemia de COVID-19. En los años siguientes, ha ido creciendo un cuerpo de literatura que busca estimar los impactos de estas interrupciones educativas en un conjunto diverso de resultados, incluido el aprendizaje de los estudiantes. Este artículo añade a este cuerpo de investigación examinando la evidencia causal a través de un marco de diferencias-en-diferencias (DID) . Los resultados sugieren que el cierre de escuelas provocó pérdidas de aprendizaje enmatemáticas para los estudiantes de último año de secundaria en escuelas públicas del Distrito Federal en Brasil. Aunque todos los grupos raciales experimentaron pérdida de aprendizaje, los estudiantes blancos y asiáticos experimentaron pérdidas más significativas en 2020. No encontramos evidencia de recuperación del aprendizaje entre 2020 y 2021 para ningún grupo racial, lo que sugiere que las pérdidas de aprendizaje persistieron en la reapertura de las escuelas. Sin embargo, encontramos posibles signos de recuperación en estudiantes mujeres del último año en comparación con los estudiantes varones. No obstante, las diferencias del desempeño entre hombres y mujeres siguen siendo prominentes al analizar los datos de 2016 a 2021. La utilización de análisis críticos de políticas y de marcos de desigualdad mantenidoseficazmente puede ofrecer información sobre las importantes disparidades de aprendizaje experimentadas por los estudiantes. Palabras-clave: pérdida de aprendizaje; COVID-19; diferencia-en-diferencias; recuperación Perda e recuperação de aprendizagem devido à COVID-19 no Brasil: Avaliando lacunas entre grupos sociais Resumo: Estudantes de mais de 150 países vivenciaram o fechamento das escolas durante apandemia da COVID-19. Nos anos seguintes, foram publicados diversos estudos que procuraram esti

FAQs

What framework does the study use to assess learning impacts?

It uses a difference-in-differences (DID) framework to examine causal evidence of learning losses and recovery.

What effect did school closures have on students in Brazil?

School closures led to learning losses in math for high-school seniors in public schools in Brazil’s Federal District (DF).

Is there evidence of learning recovery from 2020 to 2021?

No evidence of learning recovery is found from 2020 to 2021 for any racial groups, though possible recovery signs appear for female senior students versus male students.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca