Bipartisan Legislation Studies Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 on Student Outcomes
Last week, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced the Assessing Children’s Academic Development and the Emotional and Mental Health Implications of COVID-19 (ACADEMIC) Act. The legislation responds to the toll the pandemic has taken on students’ mental, physical, and academic wellbeing by authorizing the Department of Education to expand a current COVID-19 study in coordination with other federal agencies.
The bill would incorporate a new interagency longitudinal component to an existing study under the Institute of Education Sciences to measure the long-term impact of COVID on pre-kindergarten through secondary school students. Additionally, the secretary would be required to release a preliminary summary of findings within one year of data collection.