Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/232717 
Year of Publication: 
2020
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 13965
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
What are the effects of school closures during the Covid-19 pandemic on children's education? Online education is an imperfect substitute for in-person learning, particularly for children from low-income families. Peer effects also change: schools allow children from different socio-economic backgrounds to mix together, and this effect is lost when schools are closed. Another factor is the response of parents, some of whom compensate for the changed environment through their own efforts, while others are unable to do so. We examine the interaction of these factors with the aid of a structural model of skill formation. We find that school closures have a large and persistent effect on educational outcomes that is highly unequal. High school students from poor neighborhoods suffer a learning loss of 0.4 standard deviations, whereas children from rich neighborhoods remain unscathed. The channels operating through schools, peers, and parents all contribute to growing educational inequality during the pandemic.
Subjects: 
skill acquisition
peer effects
parenting
parenting style
neighborhood effects
COVID-19
pandemics
JEL: 
I24
J13
J24
R20
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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