Measuring learning losses from delayed return to school: Evidence from Mexico

Abstract

This paper quantifies learning losses related to delaying the return to in presence school activities after the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, for children of low socioeconomic background in Mexico by exploiting a unique data set constructed for such purpose. Data on math and reading comprehension learning outcomes for a panel of children aged 10–15 were collected between April and December 2021 in two geographically adjacent and similar states in the southern region of the country, with significant between and within state variability in the school reopening and school return process. We use alternative estimation techniques to measure changes in learning outcomes in relation to the exposure to in-presence education during a 6-month period and find that children that returned to school earlier had higher achievement scores of at least 0.27 standard deviations, and these were greater for older children. These findings highlight the potential learning losses associated with remote education.