education crisis

The global education crisis – even more severe than previously estimated

Ellinore carroll, joão pedro azevedo, jessica bergmann, matt brossard, gwang- chol chang, borhene chakroun, marie-helene cloutier, suguru mizunoya, nicolas reuge, halsey rogers.

In our recent   The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery report (produced jointly by UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank), we sounded the alarm: this generation of students now risks losing $17 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value, or about 14 percent of today’s global GDP, because of COVID-19-related school closures and economic shocks. This new projection far exceeds the $10 trillion estimate released in 2020 and reveals that the impact of the pandemic is more severe than previously thought . 

The pandemic and school closures not only jeopardized children’s health and safety with domestic violence and child labor increasing, but also impacted student learning substantially. The report indicates that in low- and middle-income countries, the share of children living in  Learning Poverty  – already above 50 percent before the pandemic – could reach 70 percent largely as a result of the long school closures and the relative ineffectiveness of remote learning.

Unless action is taken, learning losses may continue to accumulate once children are back in school, endangering future learning.

Figure 1. Countries must accelerate learning recovery

Severe learning losses and worsening inequalities in education

Results from global simulations of the effect of school closures on learning are now being corroborated by country estimates of actual learning losses. Evidence from Brazil , rural Pakistan , rural India , South Africa , and Mexico , among others, shows substantial losses in math and reading. In some low- and middle-income countries, on average, learning losses are roughly proportional to the length of the closures—meaning that each month of school closures led to a full month of learning losses (Figure 1, selected LMICs and HICs presents an average effect of 100% and 43%, respectively), despite the best efforts of decision makers, educators, and families to maintain continuity of learning.

However, the extent of learning loss varies substantially across countries and within countries by subject, students’ socioeconomic status, gender, and age or grade level (Figure 1 illustrates this point, note the large standard deviation, a measure which shows data are spread out far from the mean). For example, results from two states in Mexico show significant learning losses in reading and in math for students aged 10-15. The estimated learning losses were greater in math than reading, and they disproportionately affected younger learners, students from low-income backgrounds, and girls.

Figure 2. The average learning loss standardized by the length of the school closure was close to 100% in Low- and Middle-Income countries, and 43% in High-Income countries, with a standard deviation of 74% and 30%, respectively.

While most countries have yet to measure learning losses, data from several countries, combined with more extensive evidence on unequal access to remote learning and at-home support, shows the crisis has exacerbated inequalities in education globally.

• Children from low-income households, children with disabilities, and girls were less likely to access remote learning due to limited availability of electricity, connectivity, devices, accessible technologies as well as discrimination and social and gender norms.
• Younger students had less access to age-appropriate remote learning and were more affected by learning loss than older students. Pre-school-age children, who are at a pivotal stage for learning and development, faced a double disadvantage as they were often left out of remote learning and school reopening plans.
• Learning losses were greater for students of lower socioeconomic status in various countries, including Ghana , Mexico , and Pakistan .
• While the gendered impact of school closures on learning is still emerging, initial evidence points to larger learning losses among girls, including in South Africa and Mexico .

As a result, these children risk missing out on much of the boost that schools and learning can provide to their well-being and life chances. The learning recovery response must therefore target support to those that need it most, to prevent growing inequalities in education.

Beyond learning, growing evidence shows the negative effects school closures have had on students’ mental health and well-being, health and nutrition, and protection, reinforcing the vital role schools play in providing comprehensive support and services to students.

Critical and Urgent Need to Focus on Learning Recovery

How should decision makers and the international community respond to the growing global education crisis?

Reopening schools and keeping them open must be the top priority, globally. While nearly every country in the world offered remote learning opportunities for students, the quality and reach of such initiatives varied, and in most cases, they offered a poor substitute for in-person instruction. Stemming and reversing learning losses, especially for the most vulnerable students, requires in-person schooling. Decision makers need to reassure parents and caregivers that with adequate safety measures, such as social distancing, masking, and improved ventilation, global evidence shows that children can resume in-person schooling safely.

But just reopening schools with a business-as-usual approach won’t reverse learning losses. Countries need to create Learning Recovery Programs . Three lines of action will be crucial:

• Consolidating the curriculum – to help teachers prioritize essential material that students have missed while out of school, even if the content is usually covered in earlier grades, to ensure the curriculum is aligned to students’ learning levels. As an example, Tanzania consolidated its curriculum for grade 1 and 2 in 2015, reducing the number of subjects taught and increasing time on ensuring the acquisition of foundational numeracy and literacy.
• Extending instructional time – by extending the school day, modifying the academic calendar to make the school year longer, or by offering summer school for all students or those in need. In Mexico , the Ministry of Public Education announced planned extensions to the academic calendar to help recovery. In Madagascar , the government scaled up an existing two-month summer “catch-up” program for students who reintegrate into school after having left the system.
• Improving the efficiency of learning – by supporting teachers to apply structured pedagogy and targeted instruction. A structured pedagogy intervention in Kenya using teachers guides with lesson plans has proven to be highly effective. Targeted instruction, or aligning instruction to students’ learning level, has been successfully implemented at scale in Cote D’Ivoire .

Finally, the report emphasizes the need for adequate funding. As of June 2021, the education and training sector had been allocated less than 3 percent of global stimulus packages. Much more funding will be needed for immediate learning recovery if countries are to avert the long-term damage to productivity and inclusion that they now face.

Learning Recovery as a Springboard to an Accelerated Learning Trajectory

Accelerating learning recovery has benefits that go well beyond short-term gains:  it can give children the necessary foundations for a lifetime of learning, and it can help countries increase the efficiency, equity, and resilience of schooling. This can be achieved if countries build on investments made and lessons learned during the crisis—most notably, with a focus on six areas:

• Assessing student learning so instruction can be targeted to students’ learning levels and specific needs.
• Investing in digital learning opportunities for all students, ensuring that technology is fit for purpose and focused on enhancing human interactions.
• Reinforcing support that leverages the role of parents, families, and communities in children’s learning.
• Ensuring that teachers are supported and have access to practical, high-quality professional development opportunities, teaching guides and learning materials. 
• Increasing the share of education in the national budget allocation of stimulus packages and tying it to investments mentioned above that can accelerate learning.
• Investing in evidence building - in particular, implementation research, to understand what works and how to scale what works to the system level.

It is time to shift from crisis response to learning recovery. We must make sure that investments and actions for learning recovery lay the foundations for more efficient, equitable, and resilient education systems—systems that truly deliver learning and well-being for all children and youth. Only then can we ensure learning continuity in the face of future disruption.

The report was produced as part of the  Mission: Recovering Education 2021 , through which the  World Bank ,  UNESCO , and  UNICEF  are focused on three priorities: bringing all children back to schools, recovering learning losses, and preparing and supporting teachers.

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Education transformation needed for ‘inclusive, just and peaceful world’ – UN chief

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Education has been Secretary-General António Guterres’ “guide and touchstone,” he said on Monday, the final day of the Transforming Education Summit , warning that it is in “a deep crisis”.  

“I regard myself as a lifelong student…Without education, where would I be? Where would any of us be?”, he asked those gathered in the iconic Generally Assembly Hall.  

António Guterres

Because education transforms lives, economies and societies, “we must transform education”.  

Downward spiral 

Instead of being the great enabler, the UN chief pointed out that education is fast becoming “a great divider ”, noting that some 70 per cent of 10-year-olds in poor countries are unable to read and are “barely learning”. 

With access to the best resources, schools and universities, the rich get the best jobs, while the poor – especially girls – displaced people, and students with disabilities, face huge obstacles to getting the qualifications that could change their lives, he continued.  

Meanwhile, COVID-19 has “dealt a hammer blow to progress on SDG4 ”, the Sustainable Development Goal targeting equitable quality education. 

“But the education crisis began long before – and runs much deeper”, Mr Guterres added, citing the International Commission on the Future of Education report card, which clearly stated: “Education systems don’t make the grade”.  

Failing grade

Dependent upon outdated and narrow curricula, under-trained and underpaid teachers, and rote learning, he maintained that “ education is failing students and societies ”.

At the same time, the digital divide penalizes poor students as the education financing gap “yawns wider than ever” .  

“Now is the time to transform education systems”, underscored the UN chief.

21st century vision

With a new 21st century education vision taking shape, he flagged that quality learning must support the development of the individual learner throughout their life .

“It must help people learn how to learn, with a focus on problem-solving and collaboration…provide the foundations for learning, from reading, writing and mathematics to scientific, digital, social and emotional skills…develop students’ capacity to adapt to the rapidly changing world of work…[and] be accessible to all from the earliest stages and throughout their lives”.

At a time of rampant misinformation, climate denial and attacks on human rights, Mr. Guterres stressed the need for education systems that “distinguish fact from conspiracy, instill respect for science, and celebrate humanity in all its diversity”.

From vision to reality

To make the vision a reality, he highlighted five commitment areas beginning with protecting the right to quality education for everyone, everywhere – especially girls and those in crisis hotspots.

Emphasizing that schools must be open to all, without discrimination, he appealed to the Taliban in Afghanistan: “Lift all restrictions on girls’ access to secondary education immediately”.

As “the lifeblood of education systems,” Mr. Guterres next called for a new focus on the roles and skillsets of teachers to facilitate and promote learning rather than merely transmitting answers.

Third, he advocated for schools to become “safe, healthy spaces, with no place for violence, stigma or intimidation”.

To achieve the fourth target, that the digital revolution benefits all learners, he encouraged governments to work with private sector partners to boost digital learning content.

Catherine Russell

Financial solidarity

“None of this will be possible without a surge in education financing and global solidarity”, said the UN chief, introducing his final priority.

He urged countries to protect education budgets and funnel education spending into learning resources.  

“ Education financing must be the number one priority for Governments . It is the single most important investment any country can make in its people and its future,” spelled out the Secretary-General. “Spending and policy advice should be aligned with delivering quality education for all”.

‘Global movement’

In closing, he stated that the Transforming Education Summit will only achieve its global goals by mobilizing “a global movement”.

“Let’s move forward together, so that everyone can learn, thrive and dream throughout their lives. Let’s make sure today’s learners and future generations can access the education they need, to create a more sustainable, inclusive, just and peaceful world for all”.

War, sickness, economic development

Catherine Russell, who heads the UN Children’s Fund ( UNICEF ) drew attention to the effect of war on children’s education, calling on governments to “scale up support to help every child learn, wherever they are”.

Winnie Byanyima , Executive Director of UNAIDS , highlighted the devastating impact of HIV on adolescent girls and young women in Africa, informing the participants that in sub-Saharan Africa last year, 4,000 girls had been infected every week .

“This is a crisis!” she said. “Because when a girl is infected at that early age, there’s no cure for HIV, that marks the rest of their lives, their opportunities”.

She told the summit that 12 African countries have now committed to Education Plus , a bold initiative to prevent HIV infections through free universal, quality secondary education for all girls and boys in Africa, reinforced through comprehensive empowerment programmes.

Audrey Azoulay, leader of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) reminded that “there can be no economic development and no peace without education,” and underscored that Afghan girls must be able to go back to school. “It is their right”, she upheld. Watch here deliver her address here .

Other luminaries

Other distinguished speakers included UN Messenger of Peace Malala Yousafzai who called on world leaders to make schools safe for girls and protect every child's right to learn, saying that “if you are serious about creating a safe and sustainable future for children, then be serious about education”.

Somaya Faruqi, former Captain of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team avowed that every girl has a right to learn, asserting that “while our cousins and brothers sit in classrooms, me and many other girls are forced to put our dreams on hold. Every girl belongs in school ”.

Newly announced UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Vanessa Nakate, stressed the need to for all children to have access to education, as “their future depends on it”. Watch her address here .

Another highlight was a stirring musical performance by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angelique Kidjo, who encouraged everyone to raise their voice for transforming education.

130 countries pledge education reboot

Later in the afternoon, it was announced that more than 130 countries attending the summit, have committed to rebooting their education systems and accelerating action to end the learning crisis 

The commitments came after 115 national consultations that brought together leaders, teachers, students, civil society and other partners to gather collective recommendations on the most urgent asks.

Nearly half of the countries prioritized measures to address ​learning loss, while a third of countries committed to supporting the psycho-social well-being of both students and teachers .​ Two in three countries ​also referenced measures to offset the direct and indirect costs of education for​ economically vulnerable communities, and 75% of countries underlined the importance of ​gender-sensitive education policies in their commitments.

These statements underscored the role of education in achieving all the SDGs and linkages with the climate crises, conflict and poverty. Measures addressed COVID-19 recovery and getting back on track on the SDGs, while emphasizing the need for innovations in education to prepare the learners of today for a rapidly changing world.

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UN calls for urgent action to address education crisis as global primary school-age population peaks in 2023

10 April 2023 - The global population of primary-school-aged children is expected to reach an all-time high of 820 million in 2023. The number of secondary school children is also on the rise, but the education sector, shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, is struggling to meet the rising demand. Against this challenging backdrop, the United Nations Commission on Population and Development convenes this week, from 10 to 14 April, to discuss the vital impact that investing in quality education has on promoting opportunity and prosperity, advancing gender equality and ensuring environmental sustainability.

“School closures and teaching disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened existing inequalities in access to and quality of education,” said Mr. Li Junhua, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. “Low-income and lower-middle-income countries face extraordinary challenges in recovering from the resulting learning losses and in resuming progress towards the universal completion of primary and secondary education by 2030.”

These challenges are felt most sharply in sub-Saharan Africa, where the primary-school-aged population is projected to increase by 86 million between 2022 and 2050 and where education systems were hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary schools in the region can only accommodate 36 per cent of qualifying students. These trends require significant investments in education and skills training in the coming years.

“Investing in quality education today is essential to transform lives, economies and societies tomorrow,” stressed Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. “Education is game-changing, especially for girls. When girls can finish their schooling, avoid early marriage and childbearing, and make a safe, healthy transition to adulthood, they can chart their own path and contribute to a healthier, more equitable and prosperous future for themselves and their communities.”

Deliberations at the Commission on Population and Development will inform the High-level Political Forum in July, as well as the upcoming SDG Summit to be convened by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023.

Five focus areas of this year’s Commission on Population and Development

The adverse impacts of COVID-19 on education The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep-seated flaws in education systems and highlighted pre-existing inequalities in access to education. Enrolment shortfalls were compounded by profound deficiencies in infrastructure, digital access, modern teaching methods and qualified teachers. Low-income and lower-middle-income countries experienced significant cuts in public spending on education making it all the more difficult to recover from learning losses.

Digital inclusion: key to reducing inequalities Digital inclusion is a necessity of modern life. The pandemic also brought digital inequalities to the fore. In 2021, some 90 per cent of the population in developed countries used the Internet, compared with only 27 per cent in the least developed countries. The digital divide is especially pronounced for women and girls. Globally, women are 21 per cent less likely to be online compared with men, rising to half as likely in the least developed countries.

Education: key to realizing the demographic dividend and empowering women Education is a key determinant of development. It is among the most powerful predictors of both economic productivity and income growth as well as population health and well-being. Evidence suggests that a substantial portion of the demographic dividend (a boost in per capita economic growth derived from an increase in the relative size of the working-age population during a particular stage of the demographic transition) may in fact be an education dividend. The education of women and girls contributes significantly to the health and survival of children and the eradication of child marriage, early childbearing and unplanned pregnancy. Combined with family planning services, the expansion of primary and secondary education has afforded women greater autonomy in reproductive decision-making. Education also increases women’s access to jobs in the formal sector, reduces vulnerable employment and lowers gender wage inequality.

Sexuality education: key to empowering young people Sexuality education is a crucial and cost-effective means to protect the health and rights of people at all stages of their lives. Well-designed curricula to deliver comprehensive education on sexuality, gender, relationships and rights in participatory, learner centred, age-appropriate and culturally relevant ways can help to foster positive social norms, promote gender equality and reduce gender-based violence.

Lifelong learning: key to sustained, inclusive economic growth Globally, over 770 million adults, most of whom are women, are illiterate. Moreover, with unprecedented numbers of people living longer, lifelong learning and the re-skilling of workers are more important than ever. Nevertheless, in nearly half of all countries, lifelong learning accounts for less than 2 per cent of education budgets. Empowering workers of all ages can lower the burden on health and pension systems and support inclusive economic growth.

Find out more about the 56th session of the Commission on Population and Development and follow the plenary session via UN Web TV.

For more information about the Commission on Population and Development, visit: www.un.org/development/desa/pd/content/CPD

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Education in Crisis Situations

The Global Initiative – Partnership for Transformative Actions in Crisis Situations in the first global multi-stakeholder initiative to mobilize cross-country cooperation and bring actions to scale while addressing immediate educational needs at national, regional, and global levels.

As 244 million children and young people are currently affected by armed conflict, health, or climate-induced disasters, political or economic crises, and associated forced displacement, including refugee crises, the need to intervene and put an end to the vicious cycle is urgent. Crises dramatically impact the longer-term investment required to transform education systems and to ensure their resilience to future disruption. 

With the main objective of advocating for and implementing the Humanitarian-Development- Peacebuilding Triple Nexus, the Global Initiative was launched as the main framework for its actions which targets 4 areas:

• Inclusive education: Improve equitable inclusive education access and learning outcomes for children and youth affected by crises. 
• Finance: Protect and improve external financing, ensure it reaches learners equitably and aligns with national planning priorities and commitments to international conventions. 
• System Strengthening: Build inclusive, crisis-resilient education systems that ensure protection of the right to education for children and youth, address the needs of all learners in a holistic way, and include information and tools related to safeguarding health, wellbeing, nutrition, water, sanitation and protection from violence, sexual exploitation and abuse. 
• Interlinked priorities: Scale and mainstream high-impact and evidence-based interventions into policy and programming efforts with a focus on eight inter-linked priorities: (i) teachers; (ii) community participation; (iii) gender equality and inclusion; (iv) early childhood education; (v) mental health and psychosocial support; (vi) protection from violence; (vii) equitable delivery of education technology and innovation, especially for the most marginalized children; and (viii) meaningful child and youth engagement. 

Strategies and activities 

For the Partnership, implementing this initiative means making it relevant for those most in need, with a focus on tangible actions where it matters most: on the ground, in the classroom, and in the experience of teachers and learners alike. Moving forward is about making this Call to Action meaningful in concerned countries and thinking of its implementation based on the different feedback and contexts. 

Thus, out of the 36 members who have signed off, an agreement was made to focus on the following 14 countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Niger, South Sudan, Uganda, Ukraine, Yemen, Zambia. Based on National consultations held in the 14 countries, the Operationalization plan of the Global Initiative – Partnership for Transformative Actions in Crisis Situations focuses on solutions that: 

• Identifies ways to strengthen political accountability for transforming and financing education in crisis situations 
• Draws the main guidelines to implement the 4 pillars of the Global Initiative
• Establishes a clear roadmap staged with milestones until December 2024. 
• Map the national consultation commitments to concrete country-level actions supported by engaged EiEPC stakeholders on the ground. 
• Anchor interventions to national, regional, and global monitoring and reporting mechanisms with a first status report published in September 2025 reflecting adaptations and adjustments that enable meaningful, contextualized action and monitoring. 

Co-conveners

The co-conveners of the Call-to-Action: Education in crisis situations are:

• Education Cannot Wait
• Global Partnership for Education

Partners 

The Global Initiative has been signed and endorsed by the following 36 Member States: Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Denmark, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Germany, Haiti, Jordan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Madagascar, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, South Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, European Union, ECW, GPE, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF, INEE, EiE Champion Group (coalition of more than 90 CSOs), The LEGO Foundation

How to engage 

The best way to engage for countries and organizations remains to endorse the CtA. Being engaged means to make a living and transformative commitment for the most in need and to fully capitalize on this unique opportunity. It must be done by:

• Nurturing and sustaining the political commitment and resources mobilized to support countries to adhere to the pillars of the Call to Action 
• Engaging all stakeholders at local, national, regional, and global levels to create a movement beyond ministries of education, led by learners and teachers across the world, inspired by civil society, and connected with broader movements for positive change. 
• Strengthening existing clusters and working groups on Education in Emergencies and reinforce open and effective Triple Nexus partnership platforms.  
• Gathering robust data and evidence to transpose the national consultation commitments to concrete country-level actions supported by engaged EiEPC stakeholders on the ground 
• Taking proactive and transformative measures to address the key barriers and bottlenecks to education in crisis situations, with a focus on the most marginalized populations. 
• Accounting for progress on global, regional, and national commitments on education in crisis situations in and through education. 

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By investing in quality education, we not only invest in the future of individuals but also in the future of our communities, nations, and the world as a whole as it fosters a culture of curiosity, critical thinking, and continuous self-improvement, enabling individuals to adapt to changing circumstances and thrive in a rapidly evolving world. This is why you should decide to support a child’s education.

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November 1, 2022

The pandemic was a wrecking ball for U.S. public education, bringing months of school closures, frantic moves to remote instruction, and trauma and isolation.

Kids may be back at school after three disrupted years, but a return to classrooms has not brought a return to normal. Recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed historic declines in American students’ knowledge and skills and widening gaps between the highest- and lowest-scoring students.

But even these sobering results do not tell us the whole story.

After nearly three years of tracking pandemic response by U.S. school systems and synthesizing knowledge about the impacts on students, we sought to establish a baseline understanding of the contours of the crisis: What happened and why, and where do we go from here?

This first annual “ State of the American Student ” report synthesizes nearly three years of research on the academic, mental health, and other impacts of the pandemic and school closures.

It outlines the contours of the crisis American students have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and begins to chart a path to recovery and reinvention for all students—which includes building a new and better approach to public education that ensures an educational crisis of this magnitude cannot happen again.

The state of American students as we emerge from the pandemic is still coming into focus, but here’s what we’ve learned (and haven’t yet learned) about where COVID-19 left us:

1. Students lost critical opportunities to learn and thrive.

• The typical American student lost several months’ worth of learning in language arts and more in mathematics.

• Students suffered crushing increases in anxiety and depression. More than one in 360 U.S. children lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19.

• Students poorly served before the pandemic were profoundly left behind during it, including many with disabilities whose parents reported they were cut off from essential school and life services.

This deeply traumatic period threatens to reverberate for decades. The academic, social, and mental-health needs are real, they are measurable, and they must be addressed quickly to avoid long-term consequences to individual students, the future workforce, and society.

2. The average effects from COVID mask dire inequities and widely varied impact.

Some students are catching up, but time is running out for others. Every student experienced the pandemic differently, and there is tremendous variation from student to student, with certain populations—namely, Black, Hispanic, and low-income students, as well as other vulnerable populations—suffering the most severe impacts.

The effects were more severe where campuses stayed closed longer. American students are experiencing a K-shaped recovery, in which gaps between the highest- and lowest-scoring students, already growing before the pandemic, are widening into chasms. In the latest NAEP results released in September , national average scores fell five times as much in reading, and four times as much in math, for the lowest-scoring 10 percent of nine-year-olds as they had for the highest-scoring 10 percent.

At the pace of recovery we are seeing today, too many students of all races and income levels will graduate in the coming years without the skills and knowledge needed for college and careers.

3. What we know at this point is incomplete. The situation could be significantly worse than the early data suggest.

The data and stories we have to date are enough to warrant immediate action, but there are serious holes in our understanding of how the pandemic has affected various groups of students, especially those who are typically most likely to fall through the cracks in the American education system.

We know little about students with complex needs, such as those with disabilities and English learners. We still know too little about the learning impacts in non-tested subjects, such as science, civics, and foreign languages. And while psychologists , educators , and the federal government are sounding alarms about a youth mental health crisis, systematic measures of student wellbeing remain hard to come by.

We must acknowledge that what we know at this point is incomplete, since the pandemic closures and following recovery have been so unprecedented in recent times. It’s possible that as we continue to dig into the evidence on the pandemic’s impacts, some student groups or subjects may have not been so adversely affected. Alternatively, the situation could be significantly worse than the early data suggest. Some students are already bouncing back quickly. But for others, the impact could grow worse over time.

In subjects like math, where learning is cumulative, pandemic-related gaps in students’ learning that emerged during the pandemic could affect their ability to grasp future material. In some states, test scores fell dramatically for high schoolers nearing graduation. Shifts in these students’ academic trajectories could affect their college plans—and the rest of their lives. And elevated rates of chronic absenteeism suggest some students who disconnected from school during the pandemic have struggled to reconnect since.

4. The harms students experienced can be traced to a rigid and inequitable system that put adults, not students, first.

• Despite often heroic efforts by caring adults, students and families were cut off from essential support, offered radically diminished learning opportunities, and left to their own devices to support learning.

• Too often, partisan politics, not student needs , drove decision-making.

• Students with complexities and differences too often faced systems immobilized by fear and a commitment to sameness rather than prioritization and problem-solving.

So, what can we do to address the situation we’re in?

Diverse needs demand diverse solutions that are informed by pandemic experiences

Freed from the routines of rigid systems, some parents, communities, and educators found new ways to tailor learning experiences around students’ needs. They discovered learning can happen any time and anywhere. They discovered enriching activities outside class and troves of untapped adult talent.

Some of these breakthroughs happened in public schools—like virtual IEP meetings that leveled power dynamics between administrators and parents advocating for their children’s special education services. Others happened in learning pods or other new environments where families and community groups devised new ways to meet students’ needs. These were exceptions to an otherwise miserable rule, and they can inform the work ahead.

We must act quickly but we must also act differently. Important next steps include:

• Districts and states should immediately use their federal dollars to address the emergent needs of the COVID-19 generation of students via proven interventions, such as well-designed tutoring, extended learning time, credit recovery, additional mental health support, college and career guidance, and mentoring. The challenges ahead are too daunting for schools to shoulder alone. Partnerships and funding for families and community-driven solutions will be critical.

• By the end of the 2022–2023 academic year, states and districts must commit to an honest accounting of rebuilding efforts by defining, adopting, and reporting on their progress toward 5- and 10-year goals for long-term student recovery. States should invest in rigorous studies that document, analyze, and improve their approaches.

• Education leaders and researchers must adopt a national research and development agenda for school reinvention over the next five years. This effort must be anchored in the reality that the needs of students are so varied, so profound, and so multifaceted that a one-size-fits-all approach to education can’t possibly meet them all. Across the country, community organizations who previously operated summer or afterschool programs stepped up to support students during the school day. As they focus on recovery, school system leaders should look to these helpers not as peripheral players in education, but as critical contributors who can provide teaching , tutoring, or joyful learning environments for students and often have trusting relationships with their families.

• Recovery and rebuilding should ensure the system is more resilient and prepared for future crises. That means more thoughtful integration of online learning and stronger partnerships with organizations that support learning outside school walls. Every school system in America should have a plan to keep students safe and learning even when they can’t physically come to school, be equipped to deliver high-quality, individualized pathways for students, and build on practices that show promise.

Our “State of the American Student” report is the first in a series of annual reports the Center on Reinventing Public Education intends to produce through fall of 2027. We hope every state and community will produce similar, annual accounts and begin to define ambitious goals for recovery. The implications of these deeply traumatic years will reverberate for decades unless we find a path not only to normalcy but also to restitution for this generation and future generations of American students.

The road to recovery can lead somewhere new. In five years, we hope to report that out of the ashes of the pandemic, American public education emerged transformed: more flexible and resilient, more individualized and equitable, and—most of all— more joyful.

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America’s education crisis is costing us our school leadership. what are we going to do about it.

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It’s not just teachers who are reeling from two years of pandemic learning. School leaders and counselors are facing extreme burnout, too—and they need their communities to rally.

Record numbers of school leaders are considering exiting the profession

For two years now, America’s teachers have coped with virtual/hybrid pandemic school, Covid-19 learning slide, societal unrest and deep political polarities, alongside their own personal challenges. As a result, a significant number are about to call it quits and leave the profession for good.

Education is heading for a crisis of epic proportions —and in many places, it’s already started. Teachers clearly need their community’s support, but they’re not the only ones struggling with the extreme strain of these times. Counselors and school leaders—administrators, superintendents and principals—are facing their own set of challenges. An October survey found that 63% have considered quitting as a result of the high-stress, no-win stakes of leading education today.

I was honored to connect with Dr. Shawn Bishop, superintendent of Harbor Beach Community Schools in Michigan, to talk about it from the perspective of a school leader in the trenches. Here’s what he had to share.

The burnout is real, and it’s not just from the pandemic

Dr. Bishop, whose career in education spans more than 25 years, says he’s never seen such universal levels of exhaustion—and never dreamed he would. “For almost two full years now, administrators have been caught in the crosshairs of political, social, emotional, ethical and academic battles that were brought to their doorstep,” he says.

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So just how bad is it? In January Dr. Bishop asked his supervisory and administrative staff to rate their current level of social-emotional need from 1 (low) to 5 (high). The survey found:

• 61% of teaching staff rated their personal need as 4 or 5
• 100% of administrative staff (principals and supervisors) rated their personal need as 4 or 5
• Nearly all of the administrative staff said they can’t sleep at night and at least occasionally take medication to help
• 100% of administrative staff said their spouse has commented that their job is interfering with their relationships at home

Unfortunately, the issues raised by the pandemic are just the tip of the iceberg. “The pandemic was a catalyst that increased the rate and intensity of enormously important and often controversial issues in our communities,” Dr. Bishop says. “Because our schools are a direct reflection of the communities they serve, these topics were very literally brought into our offices, halls, school boardrooms and classrooms.

“School administrators are expected to ‘make everyone happy,’ and at the same time make sure all needs are met so learning can take place for all regardless of belief. They are expected to sew together all these various groups, with their variety of stances, into a cohesive student body and a cohesive staff. They must do all of that while being public figureheads who are directly in the public eye.”

It’s little wonder that so many of them are quitting. But stress isn’t the only reason.

Is it worth it anymore?

Most educators chose their profession because they wanted to make a positive difference in the world. It’s what drives them to give so much, every day, even when they don’t see an immediate return. But the past two years are taking their toll.

The long hours. The mental and physical exhaustion. The enormous scrutiny and public criticism. Teachers and administrators alike are starting to wonder if it’s all worth it.

It wasn’t that way when the pandemic started. “At the beginning, the thought was ‘you don’t leave your children/community when the storm starts,’” says Dr. Bishop. “I for one felt the very real obligation to stay and not abandon my kids.”

But the pandemic has dragged on for longer than anyone expected and now, says Dr. Bishop, there is a very real feeling that fulfilling a higher purpose through education is no longer worth the fight. “Like the dogs in the 1960s Martin Seligman experiment, they’ve reached a level of ‘learned helplessness,’” he says.

And then, there’s the constant barrage of communication. “The expectation that as a school leader you should be accessible 24 hours a day every day adds to the pressure and inability to pause to regroup or re-energize,” says Dr. Bishop, who’s taken just two vacation days during the past two years. “I personally receive phone calls, texts, instant messages and emails from 4am to midnight during holiday breaks and weekends.

“The expectation is that you answer and respond. And if you don’t, there’ll be communication to those who hold your job security in their hands.”

The trickle-up effect

As school leaders exit the profession, there’s concern about a “trickle-up” effect on those replacing them. “There is strong data to support less quantity and less quality of candidates moving into teaching,” Dr. Bishop says. “Thus, from a much smaller and potentially less qualified pool, schools attempt to draw their next leaders.

“Teachers see firsthand the pressure, hours and lack of positive feedback their leaders experience. As a result, these potential school leaders see low resources and high levels of critique and wonder if a change to school leadership is worth it.”

What’s the trickle-up result of all this? “Well-intended people will be taking positions that they are not qualified or experienced enough to hold,” explains Dr. Bishop. “When that happens, the organization can no longer move forward. Visionary, forward-thinking projects and programs cannot form under leaders that don’t possess the skills to rally people, resources and energy.

“Progress becomes a thing of the past, and survival of the moment is what’s left.”

Strengthening internal partnerships

In some organizations, the constantly changing demands of the pandemic have shattered trust among the different departments. When I asked Dr. Bishop how administrators, counselors and teachers could rebuild it, he gently pushed back against the assumption that all such partnerships are lacking trust. “As with any agency/business, some run with more conflict and some with great trust and cohesiveness,” he says.

But where trust has been compromised, Dr. Bishop believes the first thing needed is time to recover. “Teachers, school leaders, counselors, custodians, secretaries, bus drivers, food service workers and others—we all need time to regroup and recenter,” he says. “Nothing in my past has been to the same level as we have now, however it’s been my experience that working with what we have in common is the place to begin.”

Dr. Bishop believes that the keys to future success are founded in four critical attitudes:

1. Hope: “We must believe there is hope for achieving success and hope that we can make a difference in the world through our kids.”

2. Forgiveness: “We must also forgive ourselves and those around us for any mistakes, bad days and missteps of the past. We can’t hold mistakes of the past close to our heart but instead must leave space for kindness, progress and even laughter to make its way in.”

3. Focus on a common good. “Our efforts now must be toward stripping away differences and focusing on the bigger picture commonalities,” he says. “The basic reasons we became educators is a good place to start—as an example, the belief that through our children we can change the future for the better. The vast majority of teachers and school leaders would say they have this central calling inside. So from that common point we begin building.”

4. Assumption of positive intent. One example of when to assume positive intent is when a leader falls back on giving self-care advice to their staff. “There is no course, master’s program, webinar, or book you can reference that indicates how to motivate, inspire and provide therapy for adults who have gone through prolonged deep levels of trauma,” says Dr. Bishop. “That doesn’t completely excuse things, but perhaps giving leaders a little space for their intent and recognizing that they want to know better and do better.

“If the person on the receiving end can assume positive intent, then they could step back and realize the administrator bringing up self-care is truly trying to help,” he continues. “Most school leaders want all the best things for their staff and the students they work with each day. Perhaps at the moment they are just trying to survive. Many leaders gladly follow the Maya Angelou saying: ‘ Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better .’”

What we can do

In light of all these challenges, I wanted to know what communities and individuals can do to support their schools and educational leadership. Dr. Bishop shared four phrases that everyone, from every side of the education system, can implement to start moving forward together.

1. Part of the problem or part of the solution? “We must remember to stay positive and rally people around the concept that we can be part of the problem or part of the solution.”

2. Assume positive intent (again): “We must dig deeper and model in every way possible that we assume each person has positive intent when they come to us,” he says. “We need to model this way of thinking and talk about this way of thinking to others.”

3. Treat others as you’d like to be treated: “Leaders need to look inward first and ask ourselves if we are treating others as we’d like to be treated,” says Dr. Bishop. “The pressures on others are real; treat them as such.”

4. Seek to understand before being understood: “Before leaders try to provide advice, examples and reasoning, they must step back and truly listen,” urges Dr. Bishop. “They must block the inner voice thinking about what to say next, and block the inner desire to solve things for people, and instead truly be in the moment and listen.”

What else do superintendents need right now? Time, training and funding—and for funding, not another round of competitive grants, notes Dr. Bishop. “There simply isn’t time for this in a day already overloaded.”

Moving forward together

As the stresses of the past two years bleed into yet another school year, visionary leadership in our education system has never been more critical. And yet, such leaders have never been so embattled. As communities and individuals, we need to rally around the counselors, superintendents, principals and administrators who remain at their post even when things seem darkest.

Let’s be part of the solution, not the problem. Let’s assume positive intent, treat others as we’d like to be treated and seek to understand what the education community is facing. For everyone with a stake in the future of education in America, there’s common ground to find and build on—if we look for it.

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New USC study sheds light on adolescent mental health crisis in the United States

Results emphasize the interconnectedness of mental health, attendance and school grades—a necessary reality for schools to grapple with.

Key Findings

This study suggests:

• Teen girls and pre-teen boys exhibit distress differently, with pre-teen boys struggling with externalizing behaviors and hyperactivity, while teen girls are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
• Students who are on track to be chronically absent or who are earning Cs are three or more times as likely to face mental health challenges as those with fewer absences or As and Bs.
• Black and lower-income families report fewer school mental health services, but are more likely to utilize them when available.
• Nearly 20 percent of families without access to mental health services would enroll their children if offered.

The mental health of children in the United States has reached a critical juncture, with rising rates of teen suicides, emergency room visits and anxiety and depression among youth. Contributing factors include the social isolation of the pandemic, academic disruptions, family challenges, economic impacts and social media’s inescapable influence.

Today, researchers with USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and USC Rossier School of Education released a new report titled “A Nation’s Children at Risk: Insights on Children’s Mental Health from the Understanding America Study” that examined the current state of adolescent mental health in the United States.

In a nationally representative sample of U.S. families, this new report examines adolescent mental health through the lens of their school experiences and parental perspectives. The study delved into mental health scores across multiple demographic groups and explored the correlation between scores, school attendance and course grades. Importantly, the study also investigated the availability of mental health resources in schools to support students in need.

Study co-authors Amie Rapaport , Morgan Polikoff , Anna Saavedra and Daniel Silver presented the finding’s implications and offered recommendations in their report.

“Our data supports the interconnected nature of student needs; to improve academic outcomes, schools must need to also prioritize mental health and attendance,” said Rapaport, co-director with the Center for Applied Research in Education (CARE) and research scientist with the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) both with USC Dornsife.

The study suggests that when students receive mental health support in school, 75 percent of parents report that these services are beneficial, with 72 percent expressing satisfaction. However, disparities in service availability exist, with service availability more than 20 percentage points greater in schools serving more White and higher-income households. This despite the fact that lower-income families are more than 5 times as likely as higher-income families to take up the services in schools when offered.

“While there is a growing awareness of the mental health struggles faced by adolescents, our study underscores that different student groups are experiencing different struggles–clearly, a one-size-fits-all solution to this problem will not work,” said Polikoff, USC Rossier professor of education and co-faculty director of the USC EdPolicy Hub .

Among the study’s implications:

• While the mental health struggles of our nation’s adolescents often are in the headlines, the report sheds light on the unique challenges faced by different subgroups of children.
• The study recommends a need for targeted allocation of resources to address mental health needs in schools.
• The correlation between mental health struggles and academic outcomes-including the approximately threefold increase in mental health warning flags among students chronically absent or with lower grades - underscores the importance of comprehensive support systems for students.

“The study shows that there is substantial unmet need for mental health services in schools, especially for the most disadvantaged students–states and the federal government need to step in and provide resources and guidance to address this crisis,” said Saavedra, a research scientist with CESR and co-director at CARE.

The study was supported by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation Pandemic Policy Research Fund at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics .

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Survey: Getting a Grip on the Student Mental Health Crisis

Recent Student Voice survey data from Inside Higher Ed finds large numbers of students are experiencing poor mental health, but is this a generational shift or a larger systemic problem in higher education?

By  Ashley Mowreader

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Student mental health concerns and demand for mental health services have both grown—is this a crisis, and what does that mean for colleges and universities?

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Over the past decade, student mental health has grown as a retention concern for higher education leaders as young people nationally report higher rates of anxiety, depression , loneliness and suicidal ideation .

Recent data from Inside Higher Ed ’s 2024 Student Voice survey of 5,025 undergraduates, conducted by Generation Lab in May, found two in five students say their mental health is impacting their ability to focus, learn and perform academically “a great deal,” and one in 10 students rate their mental health as “poor.”

While states and institutions have invested unprecedented dollars and resources into improving student wellness, identifying the source of college students’ declining mental wellness rates is a challenge for administrators and learners alike.

Inside Higher Ed asked students and college presidents what factors are driving an increased demand for mental health services on college campuses, and the results from the two surveys highlight generational differences in language around mental health, the power of online spaces and the need for a communitywide focus on wellness.

Methodology

Inside Higher Ed ’s annual Student Voice survey was fielded in May in partnership with Generation Lab and had 5,025 total student respondents.

The sample includes over 3,500 four-year students and 1,400 two-year students. Over one-third of respondents are post-traditional (attending a two-year institution or 25 or older in age), 16 percent are exclusively online learners, and 40 percent are first-generation students. Over half (52 percent) of respondents are white, 15 percent are Hispanic, 14 percent are Asian American or Pacific Islanders, 11 percent are Black, and 8 percent are another race (international student or two or more races).

The complete data set, with interactive visualizations, is available here . In addition to questions about health and wellness , the survey asked students about their academics , college experience and preparation for life after college.

Survey says: When asked what factors are the biggest drivers of the “college mental health crisis” or high demand for student mental health services in recent years, 42 percent of Student Voice respondents said the need to balance personal, economic and family duties with schoolwork. ( This was also the No. 1 stressor students reported in the survey ).

Other top drivers, as reported by students, include increased academic stress (37 percent), prevalence of social media (33 percent) and an increase in loneliness (29 percent). Around one-quarter of respondents believe current economic events and generational differences in how students cope with stress are significant factors in the student mental health crisis.

College presidents, on the other hand, pointed to generational changes in the student experience. Inside Higher Ed ’s 2024 Presidents Survey found 86 percent of college leaders (n=362) believe social media is very or extremely influential in the demand for mental health services, followed by decreased socialization skills caused by COVID-19 (74 percent), loneliness (68 percent), pre-existing mental health conditions (62 percent), declining student resilience (62 percent) and the need to balance personal, economic and family duties with schoolwork (59 percent). Only 42 percent of presidents thought academic stress was highly influential.

Mental health experts say these results aren’t entirely off base, with changing demographics of learners in higher education and a growing consciousness of larger societal issues.

“If you ask administrators like me, we’re used to the traditional, normal college student development issues, which is what the college students are saying is what’s hard,” explains James Raper, vice president for health, well-being, access and prevention at Emory University. “‘How do I learn to be a more full human and take all those responsibilities on and be at a university and figure out how to hold that down?’”

At the same time, college leaders should understand that the nature of being a young adult has changed, which impacts students’ mental health.

“Young people are dealing with a completely different world than we were when we were younger,” says Laura Erickson-Schroth, chief medical officer at the Jed Foundation. “Some of the same stressors exist, of course—there are always going to be things going on in your family or with relationships. But young people are thinking about a lot of things that didn’t exist.”

Some of those worries are external, such as climate change, racial justice, reproductive rights, campus protests and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Others are more personal, such as a global rise in loneliness among young people and teens spending less time in person with their friends outside of school.

What’s in a crisis? A 2022 survey by TimelyCare (formerly TimelyMD) found 88 percent of college students believe there is a mental health crisis on college campuses.

Doug Everhart, director of student wellness and health promotion at the University of California, Irvine, pushes back against the idea of a crisis, because “language is what helps perpetuate this whole issue,” he says. “We keep saying ‘mental health crisis,’ and we perpetuate that thought by continuing to label it that way.”

For better or for worse, language around mental health has changed as health care professionals and other advocates have worked to address the stigma of mental illness.

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“Part of this mental health crisis that we’re all talking about on campus is a definitional one,” says Melissa Saunders, assistant director for clinical services at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Because the term ‘mental health,’ which used to refer to traditional mental illness, like a mood disorder or something significant, has now been used much more broadly, to refer to mental and emotional discomfort that comes from the ordinary stressors of life.”

As language around mental health evolves to be more inclusive and widespread, young people are more comfortable talking about mental health. Active Minds is one example of this work, bringing together student advocates on campuses across the country to discuss mental health and provide peer support.

“We are an organization that is led by young people, so if young people are telling us that they’re in a mental health crisis, we believe them first and foremost,” says Trace Terrell, higher education and policy intern for Active Minds. “If that’s their experience, then we’re going to address their experience directly.”

May data from JED found, among 13- to 17-year-olds, stigma is not a top concern in seeking mental health care. Among Student Voice respondents, 16 percent say the destigmatization of seeking mental health services is one of the drivers of increased demand for support.

Data on students with disabilities finds there is a greater number of students receiving accommodations for mental and emotional disabilities. A May report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found the number of postsecondary students with depression increased 226 percent from 2004 to 2020. A 2022 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study found the number of children (ages 3 to 17) diagnosed with anxiety and depression grew by around 29 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

Only 12 percent of Student Voice participants say “more pre-existing health conditions” is one of the biggest drivers of the college mental health crisis. Fifteen percent point to a rise in self-diagnoses.

The role of social media: One in three Student Voice respondents believe social media has played a role in the rise of the college student mental health crisis, compared to 86 percent of presidents.

On the plus side, social media can be a space for students to connect with one another, find support and learn more about their interests or world events. It’s also an accepted norm in today’s culture.

“We all use social media all the time,” Erickson-Schroth says. “It’s the water we swim in at this point. We live our lives online in so many ways.”

Raper believes the challenges with students and social media go deeper than scrolling Instagram or Facebook.

“Forget the function of social media itself on a phone, but the presence of constant information in our brains, on developing brains, makes it harder,” Raper says. “Whether you’re exposed to that first when you’re 8 [years old] or 30, it makes it harder to do the normal life things.”

Electronic stimuli can make it challenging to engage in healthy mental practices, such as mindfulness and contemplative practices. Teaching those skills is a priority for Raper and his team, he says. “They need to catch up—that’s been harder for them, that ability to be bored.”

In normalizing mental health concerns, social media has been both a tool and a detriment, with more learners aware of what mental illness could look like but also more likely to self-determine they have a disorder based on what they see online.

“We have seen a tendency in the last five years or so for students to self-diagnose based on what they’re seeing on TikTok, particularly , but other social medias,” Saunders says. “There’s almost a disorder of the year on TikTok. A couple of years ago, it was autism , and then it was OCD. [Students are] getting a lot of information online, and then matching what they’re feeling at the moment with what they think is a major mental illness, when in fact it’s not.”

Terrell, an undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins, has experienced this firsthand, supporting friends as they struggle with symptoms of poor mental health.

“People can experience anxiety, but having an anxiety disorder is completely different. People can feel sad for long periods of time, but that doesn’t necessarily qualify as depression,” he explains. “It’s really important for us to teach young people how to get it right when they’re talking about it and how to accurately express their emotions.”

A culture of care: Experts agree getting ahead of the mental health crisis takes a community effort, catered to the institution and its students.

“We don’t want to engage just the individual well-being issue,” Raper from Emory says. “It’s not just ‘Go to counseling.’ We have to create a community that supports this.”

JED is seeing “unprecedented numbers” of college campuses reaching out to the organization, looking to make mental health and suicide prevention a priority. “They’re excited to think about this on a large scale in ways that they weren’t before,” Erickson-Schroth says.

The presidents’ survey found 57 percent of leaders agree somewhat or strongly that their institution has enough clinical capacity to meet the mental health needs of their undergraduate population. Seven in 10 respondents also indicate they have invested in wellness facilities or services to promote overall well-being on campus since 2020.

Emory will roll out a new well-being framework in the fall, helping students practice and reflect on eight dimensions of wellness while involving the entire campus community.

UC Irvine is piloting an initiative this fall, as well. It encourages social development of students by creating informal conversation spaces for students, faculty and staff members to engage and bond over shared interests and hobbies.

“Our hypothesis is that it’s going to improve communication, improve relationships and take down these barriers for connection and engagement that currently prevent them from doing [wellness and self-care],” Everhart says.

Active Minds is also working to start conversations with students in middle school, getting ahead of student crises by empowering them with education and programming.

Read more about institutional interventions to support student mental health here.

Universities are leveraging AI to help police overcome bias in crime fighting—while contending with the technology’s

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Integrating the Climate Crisis into Clinical Psychology Education  

Dr. David Sacks at the Washington, D.C., Campus describes a course he created to teach psychology students to deal with the effects of the climate crisis. 

We are in the midst of a climate crisis whose psychological impact will only increase. As a clinical psychologist, I ask myself: What can my field offer in response to the climate crisis?  I joined a community of psychologist colleagues via the Climate Psychology Alliance North America (CPA-NA) who share these concerns.  

Last year, I gave a talk on clinical psychology and the climate crisis to students and faculty in the clinical psychology doctoral program at the Washington, D.C., Campus of The Chicago School. Based on this talk, I was encouraged to design and teach a semester course to introduce students to the knowledge, skills, and professional support systems they will require to work on climate-related psychological issues in their future careers.  

What are students learning? The course highlights how climate-related increases in heat, drought, flooding, severe storms, and wildfires affect not only people’s livelihoods and physical health but also their mental health. For example:   

• During heat waves, psychologists must address mental health effects people experience, such as the impact of heat on suicidality, efficacy of psychotropic medications, aggression, and sleep.  
• For people struck by climate-related storms, fires, and other disasters, psychological first aid is an immediate intervention, and communities also require ongoing mental health support to recover and prepare for future disasters.   
• Increasing numbers of people, especially young people, seek climate-aware psychotherapy to find meaningful ways to act on the severe anxiety, grief, anger, and other feelings they have about the future of our planet.  

Psychologists can also practice leadership and advocacy around climate issues. Low-income communities and communities of color have unjustly suffered the worst health and mental health effects of heat, air pollution, toxic chemicals, impure water, and other environmental hazards. These same communities stand to be disproportionately affected by future climate change. Psychologists can testify in court, help design legislation, shape implementation of policies, and assist community groups.  

The course format enhances students’ learning in several ways:   

• Each student is paired with a practicing mental health professional mentor from CPA-NA. In a series of one-on-one videoconference meetings throughout the semester, mentors acquaint students with a wide range of climate-psychology-related activities, give them role models in the field, provide them with emotional support, guide their career development, and connect them with professional opportunities.  
• Students work in pairs to interview invited experts on designated topics such as disaster response with children, indigenous wisdom on climate, advocacy on climate issues, and mental health issues facing climate activists and frontline workers.  
• Students practice conducting climate-related conversations with a variety of individuals, to develop their expertise in eliciting different people’s feelings, thoughts, and responses around climate in honest, meaningful, and productive ways.   
• Each student keeps a journal throughout the semester to reflect on their own evolving feelings about the climate crisis.  

Addressing the climate crisis will require individuals, communities, and nations to practice resilience and make changes on an unprecedented scale. Working at all these levels, psychologists can play a key role in facilitating productive conversations, generating hope, helping people adapt, addressing barriers to change, and shaping solutions that promote human and planetary well-being.  

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The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery

December 6, 2021.

Simultaneous interpretation available in

Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish

The global disruption to education caused by the COVD-19 pandemic is without parallel and the effects on learning are severe. The crisis brought education systems across the world to a halt, with school closures affecting more than 1.6 billion learners. While nearly every country in the world offered remote learning opportunities for students, the quality and reach of such initiatives varied greatly and were at best partial substitutes for in-person learning. Now, 21 months later, schools remain closed for millions of children and youth, and millions more are at risk of never returning to education. Evidence of the detrimental impacts of school closures on children’s learning offer a harrowing reality: learning losses are substantial, with the most marginalized children and youth often disproportionately affected .

This December 6 th , building on the close collaboration of UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank under the Mission: Recovering Education , the three organizations will launch a joint report on the state of the crisis.

The Report – titled “ The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery” – charts a path out of the global education crisis and towards building more effective, equitable, and resilient education systems.

Learning losses can be reversed if countries act now!

The cost of keeping schools closed is steep and threatens to widen existing disparities for children and youth. Reopening schools and keeping them open should remain the highest priority for countries , as growing evidence indicates that with adequate measures, health risks to children and education staff can be minimized.

The event will feature the participation of Stefania Giannini , Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO, Robert Jenkins , Global Director of Education, UNICEF, Jaime Saavedra , Global Director of Education, the World Bank, as well as a panel of government officials and international education stakeholders who will reflect on the evidence presented in the joint report and lessons from country experiences in support of learning recovery from around the world. The panel will be moderated by Andrew Jack , Global Education Editor, Financial Times .

Stefania Giannini

Robert jenkins, jaime saavedra, joan oviawe, rossieli soares, martin gustafsson, joao pedro azevedo, halsey rogers, andrew jack, event recording.

• EVENT PRESENTATION The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery
• PUBLICATION The State of the Global Education Crisis: A Path to Recovery
• PRESS RELEASE Learning Losses from COVID-19 Could Cost this Generation of Students Close to $17 Trillion in Lifetime Earnings

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New College of Florida to renew hotel contracts, build portables amid housing shortage

New College of Florida is moving to renew its contracts with local hotels and build temporary portable housing units as it continues to face a housing crisis on campus from the closure of dorms and an influx of student-athletes driving record enrollment.

In a unanimous vote of the Finance and Administration Standing Committee on Wednesday, New College authorized President Richard Corcoran to negotiate a new contract with Home2Suites, a hotel less than a mile north of campus, to renew its use of more than 100 rooms to house students for the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters. The committee also approved funding three portable modular housing units that would house 132 single beds near the Dort and Goldstein dorm buildings.

The contract with Home2Suites is expected to total about $3.88 million, while the three portable housing units would cost New College $3 million, according to the board agenda.

The need for additional beds for students comes as the college finds itself in an "oversubscribed" situation, according to the board agenda. New College faces a housing crisis on campus as it shut down Pei Dorm buildings due to mold concerns , and has seen record enrollment because of its launch of an athletics department .

"Last year, we had 250 beds in the hotels. Now we're down to 150, which is a significant savings," he said. "That savings allows us to pay for the portables."

During the meeting, Corcoran said the University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus gave New College 100 beds in their new dorm building, slated to open for the Fall semester . Putting students in hotels would be a last resort if the college couldn't fit them into the portable housing units, the USF dorms or an on-campus dorm, Corcoran said.

Students can still find off-campus housing if they can afford it, but the median rent price in Sarasota County remains about 20% higher than the national average , according to Apartments.com.

The New College Board of Trustees convene for its next meeting on Thursday.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at [email protected].

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Global Energy Crisis

How the energy crisis started, how global energy markets are impacting our daily life, and what governments are doing about it

• English English

What is the energy crisis?

Record prices, fuel shortages, rising poverty, slowing economies: the first energy crisis that's truly global.

Energy markets began to tighten in 2021 because of a variety of factors, including the extraordinarily rapid economic rebound following the pandemic. But the situation escalated dramatically into a full-blown global energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The price of natural gas reached record highs, and as a result so did electricity in some markets. Oil prices hit their highest level since 2008. 

Higher energy prices have contributed to painfully high inflation, pushed families into poverty, forced some factories to curtail output or even shut down, and slowed economic growth to the point that some countries are heading towards severe recession. Europe, whose gas supply is uniquely vulnerable because of its historic reliance on Russia, could face gas rationing this winter, while many emerging economies are seeing sharply higher energy import bills and fuel shortages. While today’s energy crisis shares some parallels with the oil shocks of the 1970s, there are important differences. Today’s crisis involves all fossil fuels, while the 1970s price shocks were largely limited to oil at a time when the global economy was much more dependent on oil, and less dependent on gas. The entire word economy is much more interlinked than it was 50 years ago, magnifying the impact. That’s why we can refer to this as the first truly global energy crisis.

Some gas-intensive manufacturing plants in Europe have curtailed output because they can’t afford to keep operating, while in China some have simply had their power supply cut. In emerging and developing economies, where the share of household budgets spent on energy and food is already large, higher energy bills have increased extreme poverty and set back progress towards achieving universal and affordable energy access. Even in advanced economies, rising prices have impacted vulnerable households and caused significant economic, social and political strains.

Climate policies have been blamed in some quarters for contributing to the recent run-up in energy prices, but there is no evidence. In fact, a greater supply of clean energy sources and technologies would have protected consumers and mitigated some of the upward pressure on fuel prices.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine drove European and Asian gas prices to record highs

Evolution of key regional natural gas prices, june 2021-october 2022, what is causing it, disrupted supply chains, bad weather, low investment, and then came russia's invasion of ukraine.

Energy prices have been rising since 2021 because of the rapid economic recovery, weather conditions in various parts of the world, maintenance work that had been delayed by the pandemic, and earlier decisions by oil and gas companies and exporting countries to reduce investments. Russia began withholding gas supplies to Europe in 2021, months ahead of its invasion of Ukraine. All that led to already tight supplies. Russia’s attack on Ukraine greatly exacerbated the situation . The United States and the EU imposed a series of sanctions on Russia and many European countries declared their intention to phase out Russian gas imports completely. Meanwhile, Russia has increasingly curtailed or even turned off its export pipelines. Russia is by far the world’s largest exporter of fossil fuels, and a particularly important supplier to Europe. In 2021, a quarter of all energy consumed in the EU came from Russia. As Europe sought to replace Russian gas, it bid up prices of US, Australian and Qatari ship-borne liquefied natural gas (LNG), raising prices and diverting supply away from traditional LNG customers in Asia. Because gas frequently sets the price at which electricity is sold, power prices soared as well. Both LNG producers and importers are rushing to build new infrastructure to increase how much LNG can be traded internationally, but these costly projects take years to come online. Oil prices also initially soared as international trade routes were reconfigured after the United States, many European countries and some of their Asian allies said they would no longer buy Russian oil. Some shippers have declined to carry Russian oil because of sanctions and insurance risk. Many large oil producers were unable to boost supply to meet rising demand – even with the incentive of sky-high prices – because of a lack of investment in recent years. While prices have come down from their peaks, the outlook is uncertain with new rounds of European sanctions on Russia kicking in later this year.

What is being done?

Pandemic hangovers and rising interest rates limit public responses, while some countries turn to coal.

Some governments are looking to cushion the blow for customers and businesses, either through direct assistance, or by limiting prices for consumers and then paying energy providers the difference. But with inflation in many countries well above target and budget deficits already large because of emergency spending during the Covid-19 pandemic, the scope for cushioning the impact is more limited than in early 2020. Rising inflation has triggered increases in short-term interest rates in many countries, slowing down economic growth. Europeans have rushed to increase gas imports from alternative producers such as Algeria, Norway and Azerbaijan. Several countries have resumed or expanded the use of coal for power generation, and some are extending the lives of nuclear plants slated for de-commissioning. EU members have also introduced gas storage obligations, and agreed on voluntary targets to cut gas and electricity demand by 15% this winter through efficiency measures, greater use of renewables, and support for efficiency improvements. To ensure adequate oil supplies, the IEA and its members responded with the two largest ever releases of emergency oil stocks. With two decisions – on 1 March 2022 and 1 April – the IEA coordinated the release of some 182 million barrels of emergency oil from public stocks or obligated stocks held by industry. Some IEA member countries independently released additional public stocks, resulting in a total of over 240 million barrels being released between March and November 2022.

The IEA has also published action plans to cut oil use with immediate impact, as well as plans for how Europe can reduce its reliance on Russian gas and how common citizens can reduce their energy consumption . The invasion has sparked a reappraisal of energy policies and priorities, calling into question the viability of decades of infrastructure and investment decisions, and profoundly reorientating international energy trade. Gas had been expected to play a key role in many countries as a lower-emitting "bridge" between dirtier fossil fuels and renewable energies. But today’s crisis has called into question natural gas’ reliability.

The current crisis could accelerate the rollout of cleaner, sustainable renewable energy such as wind and solar, just as the 1970s oil shocks spurred major advances in energy efficiency, as well as in nuclear, solar and wind power. The crisis has also underscored the importance of investing in robust gas and power network infrastructure to better integrate regional markets. The EU’s RePowerEU, presented in May 2022 and the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act , passed in August 2022, both contain major initiatives to develop energy efficiency and promote renewable energies. 

The global energy crisis can be a historic turning point

Energy saving tips

1. Heating: turn it down

Lower your thermostat by just 1°C to save around 7% of your heating energy and cut an average bill by EUR 50-70 a year. Always set your thermostat as low as feels comfortable, and wear warm clothes indoors. Use a programmable thermostat to set the temperature to 15°C while you sleep and 10°C when the house is unoccupied. This cuts up to 10% a year off heating bills. Try to only heat the room you’re in or the rooms you use regularly.

The same idea applies in hot weather. Turn off air-conditioning when you’re out. Set the overall temperature 1 °C warmer to cut bills by up to 10%. And only cool the room you’re in.

2. Boiler: adjust the settings

Default boiler settings are often higher than you need. Lower the hot water temperature to save 8% of your heating energy and cut EUR 100 off an average bill.  You may have to have the plumber come once if you have a complex modern combi boiler and can’t figure out the manual. Make sure you follow local recommendations or consult your boiler manual. Swap a bath for a shower to spend less energy heating water. And if you already use a shower, take a shorter one. Hot water tanks and pipes should be insulated to stop heat escaping. Clean wood- and pellet-burning heaters regularly with a wire brush to keep them working efficiently.

3. Warm air: seal it in

Close windows and doors, insulate pipes and draught-proof around windows, chimneys and other gaps to keep the warm air inside. Unless your home is very new, you will lose heat through draughty doors and windows, gaps in the floor, or up the chimney. Draught-proof these gaps with sealant or weather stripping to save up to EUR 100 a year. Install tight-fitting curtains or shades on windows to retain even more heat. Close fireplace and chimney openings (unless a fire is burning) to stop warm air escaping straight up the chimney. And if you never use your fireplace, seal the chimney to stop heat escaping.

4. Lightbulbs: swap them out

Replace old lightbulbs with new LED ones, and only keep on the lights you need. LED bulbs are more efficient than incandescent and halogen lights, they burn out less frequently, and save around EUR 10 a year per bulb. Check the energy label when buying bulbs, and aim for A (the most efficient) rather than G (the least efficient). The simplest and easiest way to save energy is to turn lights off when you leave a room.

5. Grab a bike

Walking or cycling are great alternatives to driving for short journeys, and they help save money, cut emissions and reduce congestion. If you can, leave your car at home for shorter journeys; especially if it’s a larger car. Share your ride with neighbours, friends and colleagues to save energy and money. You’ll also see big savings and health benefits if you travel by bike. Many governments also offer incentives for electric bikes.

6. Use public transport

For longer distances where walking or cycling is impractical, public transport still reduces energy use, congestion and air pollution. If you’re going on a longer trip, consider leaving your car at home and taking the train. Buy a season ticket to save money over time. Your workplace or local government might also offer incentives for travel passes. Plan your trip in advance to save on tickets and find the best route.

7. Drive smarter

Optimise your driving style to reduce fuel consumption: drive smoothly and at lower speeds on motorways, close windows at high speeds and make sure your tires are properly inflated. Try to take routes that avoid heavy traffic and turn off the engine when you’re not moving. Drive 10 km/h slower on motorways to cut your fuel bill by around EUR 60 per year. Driving steadily between 50-90 km/h can also save fuel. When driving faster than 80 km/h, it’s more efficient to use A/C, rather than opening your windows. And service your engine regularly to maintain energy efficiency.

Analysis and forecast to 2026

Fuel report — December 2023

Europe’s energy crisis: Understanding the drivers of the fall in electricity demand

Commentary — 09 May 2023

Where things stand in the global energy crisis one year on

Commentary — 23 February 2023

The global energy crisis pushed fossil fuel consumption subsidies to an all-time high in 2022

Commentary — 16 February 2023

Fossil Fuels Consumption Subsidies 2022

Policy report — February 2023

Background note on the natural gas supply-demand balance of the European Union in 2023

Report — February 2023

Analysis and forecast to 2025

Fuel report — December 2022

How to Avoid Gas Shortages in the European Union in 2023

A practical set of actions to close a potential supply-demand gap

Flagship report — December 2022

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