The Covid-19 Learning Crisis as a Challenge and an Opportunity for Schools - Evidence Review and Conceptual Synthesis of Research-Based Tools for Sustainable Change

Oct 15, 2026

Schools can become change agents that transform local practice to respond to learning loss and widening educational inequities caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper applies cultural-historical activity theory to reframe the crisis as a double stimulation, first mapping a new “problem space” for schools and then integrating it with research on professional change. It develops conceptual tools that capture learning gaps and enable scalable pedagogic interventions. The study concludes by positioning the pandemic disruption as a unique opportunity for durable shifts in educational thinking and practice beyond the crisis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time1 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Problem space and evidence synthesis

Transformative learning opportunities and scalable tools

Implications for professional learning beyond the pandemic

doi: 10.26529/cepsj.1133 The Covid-19 Learning Crisis as a Challenge and an Opportunity for Schools: An Evidence Review and Conceptual Synthesis of Research-Based Tools for Sustainable Change Riikka Hofmann*1, Gabrielle Arenge2, Siobhan Dickens2, Javiera Marfan2, Mairead Ryan3, Ngee Derk Tiong2, Bhaveet Radia4 and Lenka Janik Blaskova2 • This paper advances our understanding of how schools can become change agents capable of transforming local practice to address the challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. It presents a novel application of cultural-historical activity theory to reinterpret evidence on widespread learning loss and increasing educational inequities resulting from the pandemic, and to identify scalable transformative learning opportunities through reframing the crisis as a double stimulation. By reviewing evidence of the emerging educational landscape, we first develop a picture of the new ‘problem space’ upon which schools must act. We develop a problem space map to serve as the first stimulus to articulate local challenges. Integrating this problem space with research on professional change, we identify conceptual tools to capture learning gapsand implement pedagogic interventions at scale, in order to enhance schools’ agency in directly addressing the crisis. These tools can act asthe second stimulus, enabling educators to address local challenges. We conclude by discussing the Covid-19 educational crisis as a unique stimulus for professional learning and outline the potential for durable shiftsin educational thinking and practice beyond the pandemic. We argue that this unprecedented historic disruption can be harnessed as a transformative professional learning opportunity. In particular, we consider how research on professional change offers local, scalable interventionsand tools that can support educators in preventing the new insights from ‘slipping away’ post-pandemic. Utilising the notions of boundaries and tool-mediated professional change, we examine the ways in which 1 *Corresponding Author. Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom; [rjph2@cam.ac.uk](rjph2@cam.ac.uk). 2 Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. 3 MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. 4 University of Cambridge, United Kingdom & Guys & St. Thomas NHS Foundation Trust. 40 the covid-19 learning crisis as a challenge and an opportunity for schools this disruption generates opportunities to envision alternative futures for equitable learning in school. Keywords: Covid-19, learning loss, cultural-historical activity theory, implementation, transformative agency Kriza učenja v obdobju covida-19 kot izziv in priložnost za šole: pregled dokazov in konceptualna sinteza naraziskavah temelječih orodij za trajnostne spremembe Riikka Hofmann, Gabrielle Arenge, Siobhan Dickens, Javiera Marfan, Mairead Ryan, Ngee Derk Tiong, Bhaveet Radia in Lenka Janik Blaskova • Prispevek poglablja naše razumevanje, kako lahko šole postanejo nosilkesprememb, ki lahko preoblikujejo lokalno prakso, da bi se tako spoprijele zizzivi, ki izhajajo iz pandemije covida-19. Predstavlja izvirno uporabo kulturnozgodovinske aktivnostne teorije, s katero želi reinterpretirati dokaze o razširjeni izgubi učenja in vse večji neenakosti v izobraževanju, ki sta posledica pandemije, ter prepoznati inovativne priložnosti za transformativno učenje s preoblikovanjem krize kot dvojne spodbude. S pregledomdokazov o nastajajočem izobraževalnem okolju najprej oblikujemo slikonovega »problemskega prostora«, po katerem morajo šole delovati. Razvijamo zemljevid problemskega prostora, ki je prva spodbuda za izražanjelokalnih izzivov. S povezovanjem tega problemskega prostora z raziskavami o profesionalnih spremembah opredelimo konceptualna orodja, da bizajeli učne vrzeli in izvedli pedagoške ukrepe v velikem obsegu ter takookrepili delovanje šol pri neposrednem reševanju krize. Ta orodja lahk

FAQs

What is the central aim of the paper?

To explain how schools can act as change agents by transforming local practice to address Covid-19-driven challenges in learning and educational equity.

How does the paper reframe the Covid-19 learning crisis?

It treats the crisis as a double stimulation, combining a problem space map with research on professional change to identify scalable transformative learning opportunities.

What tools does the paper propose for schools and educators?

Conceptual tools to capture learning gaps and support the implementation of pedagogic interventions at scale, helping educators address local challenges.

Oct 15, 2026

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