Dean Elizabeth Birr Moje speaks with WWJ Newsradio about the ways in which the pandemic continues to impact childrens’ learning

In an interview on Detroit’s WWJ Newsradio 950, Dean Elizabeth Birr Moje discussed the many ways in which the pandemic interrupted learning for students. It has now been five years since the pandemic broke out, and the changes it forced continue to affect the way students learn. Moje noted that not having access to the right tools and an supportive space to learn at home (or elsewhere) made it difficult for many students to keep up academically. As a result, many students are still trying to overcome learning loss that happened during that period of virtual learning.

“We’ve seen test scores drop pretty dramatically. Math scores are coming back up. Reading scores are continuing — at least in the state of Michigan — to decline. And that’s true in other states as well,” Moje said.

Moje said it will take “a lot of love and support and resources” for this learning loss to be addressed in the coming years.

“The biggest takeaway, we need more resources. We need literacy coaches. We need literacy specialists in classrooms helping the classroom teacher help children regain their skills,” Moje said.