Pandemic learning loss could cost students $70,000 in lifetime earnings

Study by Stanford University economist projects the losses could total $28 trillion over the rest of this century

See By Ben Chapman & Douglas Belkin of The WSJ. Excerpts:

"Learning loss could shave $70,000 off the lifetime earnings of children who were in school during the pandemic, according to a new study by a Stanford economist.

The sobering forecast is based on an analysis of the sharp declines in the scores of eighth-graders on national math tests taken between 2019 and 2022.

If the learning losses aren’t recovered, K-12 students on average will grow into less educated, lower-skilled and less productive adults and will earn 5.6% less over the course of their lives than students educated just before the pandemic, said Eric A. Hanushek, a Stanford University economist who specializes in education. He said the losses could total $28 trillion over the rest of this century.

"The economic costs of the learning losses will swamp business cycle losses," said Dr. Hanushek."

"Dr. Hanushek’s analysis echoes a study released in October by researchers from Harvard and Dartmouth Universities, which estimated that if the learning loss isn’t reversed, it would equate to a 1.6% drop in lifetime earnings for the average K-12 student.

That study also found learning loss leads to lower high school graduation rates and college enrollment as well as higher teen motherhood, arrests and incarceration."