According to a new study from McKinsey and Co, the effects of the COVID school shutdowns may “depress this generation’s prospects and constrict their opportunities far into adulthood.”

The study shows students are four to six months behind in reading and math. Students in low-income schools are seven months behind in their learning. McKinsey says that unless students can recover these losses, the impact on their lives could be permanent:

The fallout from the pandemic threatens to depress this generation’s prospects and constrict their opportunities far into adulthood. The ripple effects may undermine their chances of attending college and ultimately finding a fulfilling job that enables them to support a family.

Washington’s public school system has failed the test of COVID. The WEA union kept public schools closed for nearly the entire 2020-21 school year, when private schools and public charter schools found ways to teach effectively and even safely reopen. State Superintendent Reykdal cancelled state tests in May, so no one knows the full extent of COVID learning loss. Under the influence of the WEA union, lawmakers funded empty seats in the classrooms, and passed SB 5044, SB 5227, SB 5228, and SB 5194, requiring school employees to receive trainings in divisive and harmful Critical Race Theory content.  

By contrast, other states responded to COVID by giving families direct education help.