Education Research Brief - Did Remote Learning Lead to Different Education and Health Outcomes in Pennsylvania? - Key Findings for the 2020–2021 School Year

Oct 15, 2026

Key findings for the 2020–2021 school year examine how Pennsylvania local education agencies (LEAs) using remote learning shaped education and community health outcomes. Vulnerable students were more likely to attend LEAs with remote instruction and to face greater connectivity barriers. More remote learning correlated with lower assessment performance in grades 5–8, while suspension rates were lower in grades 6–12 and graduation rates showed no clear harm or benefit. Remote learning in high school aligned with lower subsequent COVID-19 case rates.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Research questions and approach

Remote learning measure

Outcomes assessed

Education Research Brief Stephen Lipscomb, Duncan Chaplin, Ijun Lai, Alma Vigil, and Hena Matthias Contributions from Candy Miller, Rhonda Johnson, and Rosemary Riccardo Did Remote Learning Lead to Different Education and Health Outcomes in Pennsylvania? Key findings for the 2020–2021 school year / Vulnerable groups of students were more likely than students overall to attend local education agencies (LEAs) where the predominant instructional modes included remote learning. / The same groups of students were also more likely to be in LEAs where larger shares ofthe student population had trouble accessing reliable internet. / More remote learning was associated with lower assessment performance in grades 5–8, especially in schools with higher levels of economic disadvantage. It was also associated with lower suspension rates in grades 6–12 and did not appear to harm or help graduation rates. / Remote learning in high school was associated with lower subsequent COVID-19 rates within an LEA’s boundary, suggesting it had an important public health benefit. The COVID-19 virus brought on a public health emergency that massively disrupted school systems and learning nationwide. During the 2020–2021 school year, many LEAs in Pennsylvania and other states adopted remote learning to help slow the virus’s spread. However, remote learning came with challenges for students, families, and LEAs. These challenges included very practical ones like not having a reliable internet connection or the correct link to log into classes, as well as fatigue from so many remote meetings and feelings of social isolation. Most Pennsylvania LEAs resumed in-person learning at least partially by the end of the 2020–2021 school year, albeit with masking and other COVID-19 safety protocols that made the learning experience different than in the past. All LEAs resumed fully in-person learning by the fall of 2021 and COVID-19 safety protocols have since eased, but concern about student outcomes has continued. This brief examines remote learning in Pennsylvania and its role in shaping education and community health outcomes during the 2020–2021 school year.1 The findings contribute to a growing evidence base on the effects of remote learning during the pandemic that has predominantly focused on assessment outcomes. This brief also explores suspension, highschool graduation, and high school dropout outcomes, as well as whether remote learning helped reduce COVID-19 case rates in local communities. Data for the brief come primarily from administrative records maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. The brief also uses survey responses from a large, representative set ofLEAs about their use of remote learning during 2020–2021.2 Exhibit 1 explains the methods. MAY 2023 > [mathematica.org](mathematica.org) 1 Exhibit 1. Methods Research questions and approach. The brief addresses three research questions, listed below, about the remote learning students received based on the predominant instructional modes their LEAs used during the 2020–2021 school year. Our aim is to understand how outcomes changed in response to remote learning and our approach adjusts for various other factors to help isolate remote learning’s effects. However, as a non-experimental study, the results may not be causal due to unobserved factors. 1. How did exposure to remote learning vary across groups of students in Pennsylvania? We described the predominant amounts of remote learning and the extent of synchronous remote instruction and connectivity challenges for students, as reported by LEAs, and how those amounts varied across groups of students. 2. How was remote learning associated with student education outcomes? We estimated the relationships of remote learning with various student outcomes, adjusting for students’ 2019 outcomes from before the pan

FAQs

Which groups were more likely to experience remote learning and connectivity challenges?

Vulnerable student groups were more likely than the overall student population to attend LEAs where remote learning was predominant and where larger shares of students had trouble accessing reliable internet.

How was remote learning associated with assessment performance and suspension rates?

More remote learning was associated with lower assessment performance in grades 5–8, especially in economically disadvantaged schools. It was also associated with lower suspension rates in grades 6–12.

What was the relationship between remote learning and later COVID-19 case rates?

Remote learning in high school was associated with lower subsequent COVID-19 rates within an LEA’s boundary, indicating an important public health benefit.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Riley West