1) The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread school closures in 2020, with some countries closing upper secondary schools for over 180 days. 2) Lost instruction time correlated with poorer performance on reading assessments, indicating learning loss. Countries employed various distance learning strategies like online platforms and take-home packages to continue education. 3) Supporting students' mental health and well-being during school closures will be as important as addressing learning gaps when schools reopen. Maintaining connections between teachers, students, and parents can help mitigate negative impacts.

1. The state of education
one year into the pandemic
WISE, Andreas Schleicher

2. Lost instruction days (upper secondary)
Source: OECD/UIS/UNESCO/UNICEF/WB Special Survey on Covid. March 2021
Austria
CzechRepublic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands Norway
Poland
Slovak Republic
Sweden
Switzerland
UnitedKingdom
Chile
Colombia
Estonia
Israel
Slovenia
Latvia
Lithuania
CostaRica
Portugal
New-Zealand
Korea
Belgium
RussianFederation
Turkey
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
400 420 440 460 480 500 520 540
Number
of
instruction
days
where
upper
secondary
schools
were
fully
closed
in
2020

3. Lost instruction days (upper secondary)
Source: OECD/UIS/UNESCO/UNICEF/WB Special Survey on Covid. March 2021
Austria
CzechRepublic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands Norway
Poland
Slovak Republic
Sweden
Switzerland
UnitedKingdom
Chile
Colombia
Estonia
Israel
Slovenia
Latvia
Lithuania
CostaRica
Portugal
New-Zealand
Korea
Belgium
RussianFederation
Turkey
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
400 420 440 460 480 500 520 540
Number
of
instruction
days
where
upper
secondary
schools
were
fully
closed
in
2020

4. Lost instruction days and quality of learning outcomes
Source: OECD/UIS/UNESCO/UNICEF/WB Special Survey on Covid. March 2021
Austria
CzechRepublic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Slovak Republic
Sweden
Switzerland
UnitedKingdom
Chile
Colombia
Estonia
Israel
Slovenia
Latvia
Lithuania
CostaRica
Portugal
New-Zealand
Korea
Belgium
RussianFederation
Turkey
R² = 0.5411
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
400 420 440 460 480 500 520 540
Number
of
instruction
days
where
upper
secondary
schools
were
fully
closed
in
2020
PISA 2018 performance inreading
(remains 0.31
after accounting
for GDP/capita)

5. Distance-learning solutions offered during 2020 and/or 2021
Source: OECD/UIS/UNESCO/UNICEF/WB Special Survey on Covid. March 2021
Figure2.1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Online platforms Take-home
packages
Television Mobile phones Radio Other distance
learning modality
% of countries/economies
Primary Lower secondary Upper secondary, general

6. Learning loss in hybrid teaching & learning mode
6
Source: http://www.nber.org/papers/w27431

7. Measures targeting populations at risk of exclusion from distance education platforms
Source: OECD/UIS/UNESCO/UNICEF/WB Special Survey on Covid. March 2021
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Design of learning materials for speakers of minority languages
Special efforts to make online learning more accessible to migrant and
displaced children, including those in camps
Additional support to lower-income households, including economic
support (i.e. take-home rations, cash based transfers)
Agreements with Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)
operators/Internet firms to remove the internet access barrier
Improved access to infrastructure for learners in urban high-density
areas
Support to learners with disabilities (e.g. sign language in online
learning programmes)
Improved access to infrastructure for learners in remote areas
Flexible and self-paced platforms (Asynchronous learning platforms)
Subsidized devices for access (PCs or/and tablets)
% of countries
Upper secondary, general Lower secondary Primary
Figure2.2
Well prepared
Local initiative

8. It’s easier to recover learning losses than emotional needs​

9. Mitigating health risks

10. Strategies for the re-opening of primary schools after the first period of closures
Source: OECD/UIS/UNESCO/UNICEF/WB Special Survey on Covid. March 2021
Figure3.1

11. Support of students and schools

12. Strategies to address learning gaps when upper secondary general schools
re-opened after the first closure in 2020
Source: OECD/UIS/UNESCO/UNICEF/WB Special Survey on Covid. March 2021
Figure3.3
Only 40% of countries
implementedmeasures to
support vocational schools

13. Maintaining contact
with students and parents

14. 2.5 times more likely
1.9 times more likely
1.4 times less likely
Twice less likely
Wanting top grades at school Being very satisfied with life Feeling lonely at school Being not satisfied with life
Interconnections:Parents’interest in their child's activities at
school and well-being (average)
More likely
Less likely
As likely
Students who say their parents are interested in their school activities are…

15. Percentage of countries that encouraged interactions between teachers and their
students and/or their parents during school closures in 2020
Source: OECD/UIS/UNESCO/UNICEF/WB Special Survey on Covid. March 2021
Figure5.3
Lower secondary education

16. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Happy Lively Proud Joyful Cheerful Scared Miserable Afraid Sad
Percentage of students who reported feelingthe following sometimesor always:
%
Students' feelings, OECD average
Fig III.12.1

17. 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35
Health
The way they look
What they learn at school
The friends they have
The neighbourhood they live in
All the things they have
How they use their time
Their relationship with their parents or guardians
Their relationship with their teachers
Their life at school
Change in the index
Change in the index of positive feelings when students reported that they were satisfied or
totally satisfied with the following aspects of their lives:
Satisfaction with different aspects of life and positive feelings, average
Fig III.12.7

18. -0.10
-0.05
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
Disciplinary
climate
Sense of
belonging
Student co-
operation
Student
competition
Exposure to
bullying
Parents'
emotional support
Students' socio-
economic status
Student is a girl Student has an
immigrant
background
Change
in
the
index
OECD average
Germany
Association between the index of positive feelings and the following:
Predictors of positive feelings
Fig III.12.5
School climate indices Student characteristics

19. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Happy Lively Proud Joyful Cheerful Scared Miserable Afraid Sad
Type of student according to the time they spend on the Internet outside of school:
Low Internet users Moderate Internet users Average Internet users High Internet users Heavy Internet users
Percentage
of
students
Internet use outside of school and students' feelings, OECD average
Fig III.12.4
Positive feelings Negative feelings

20. 20
Physicalhealth trends
Alcohol consumption
Smoking Sleep
Physical activity
Daily consumption of
soft drinks
Consumption of fruits and
vegetables
Skipping breakfast
Overweight/obese
Decreasing
Increasing

21. Find out more about our work at
www.oecd.org/education
Email: Andreas.Schleicher@OECD.org
Twitter: SchleicherOECD
Wechat: AndreasSchleicher
and remember:
Without data, you are just another person with an opinion
Thank you