COVID - 19, 20, 21, 22 . . .
Covid-19 has infected over 330 million people and killed 5.5 million worldwide in the past two years. And while teens and children aren’t as at risk of developing any life-threatening symptoms if infected with Covid-19, teens and children have been hit the hardest with long-standing mental health issues due to the pandemic.
In a recent study done by McKinsey & Company, over 35% of parents surveyed across America are “very or extremely concerned” about the state of their children's mental health and have reported “increases in behaviors such as social withdrawal, self-isolation, lethargy, and irrational fears.” And these concerns are extremely valid. A study done by the University of North Carolina showed an increase in depression among youth but little change and even a decrease in anxiety. But this decrease in anxiety was only temporary. The study showed, “As the pandemic has worn on, however, youth show more consistent elevations in anxiety, depression, and stress. This is particularly true for marginalized young people, such as African American, Latino, low-resourced or LGBTQ youth.” During the pandemic, there has been a six-percentage-point increase in clinically diagnosed anxiety and a five-percentage-point increase in clinically diagnosed depression despite a six-percentage-point decrease in mental health assessment and testing done for children, the steepest decline of testing among any age group.
These marginalized groups are at risk for increased mental health issues and for falling behind in school. As of July of 2021, students were an average of 5 months behind in math and four months behind in language arts. Schools with predominately African American and Latino students are six months behind in math and language arts. Students in low-income schools are even more at risk and average seven months behind in all areas of school.
Many students were given a “free pass” to graduate the first two years of the pandemic with waived credits, resulting in high graduation rates despite how behind students were. However, as we head into the second full year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the lasting effects of quarantine and online learning have only intensified for teens and children. This will likely be the first year we truly see the impact has on graduation rates. Nationally there has been a steep decline in attendance, a massive spike in students with failing grades, and students are dropping out of high school at alarming rates, and while graduation rates will not be released until later this year, we can predict they will have dropped drastically from last year.
Dropping out of high school and not seeking higher education after high school will not only have a negative impact on these individual students' futures but the future of the economy in the United States. It’s estimated that students may earn on average $49,000 to $61,000 less in their lifetime due to unfinished learning during the pandemic. This could lead to $128 billion to $188 billion lost every year as our generation enters the workforce.
Covid-19 has only amplified the effects mental health has on our society as a whole. When students begin to struggle with mental health, they often, in turn, begin to struggle in school. And with little to no resources available to students to increase their overall well-being during the pandemic, no wonder we are so behind in school.
Students have been expected to go back to relatively normal life after experiencing a prolonged traumatic experience. This expectation is overall unreasonable and it’s unrealistic to expect students to succeed in school without significant recovery policies and mental health services. Not only students have taken a huge hit during the pandemic, but the very infrastructure that supports their success has essentially crumbled. Teachers and counselors are overworked, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Without investment into supporting these critical positions, a return to normalcy is practically impossible.
In an attempt to repair the damage done to the education system, the federal government has committed $200 billion to support recovery from the pandemic through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act); the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA); and the American Rescue Plan (ARP). This plan entails four steps to rebuild and restructure the infrastructure of school systems; safely reopening in-person learning, re-engaging students in effective learning environments, supporting students' needs from unfinished learning, and rebuilding school systems for the long term.
As we emerge from the pandemic, new systems and programs need to be established to meet the needs of students and set them up for success. Assuming students can just go back to “normal” after almost two years of isolation is already setting the stage for failure, and we are seeing this first hand at Eisenhower. More students have failing grades than ever before, students are regularly late, and skipping class has become the new normal. Providing mental health and social reintegration resources is essential for our success.
