School closures created a critical national need: catching up students who lost months of learning.

The data show that not only did remote “instruction” cause students to fall behind, it hit poor students the hardest. Those students continue to fall further behind their wealthier peers every day. Without intervention, we’re creating an entire generation that will be poorer, less educated, and suffer a wider income gap than adults today. President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act included $122.7 billion in “Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief” funding that can be used to remedy learning loss. The federal government usually spends $35-42 billion annually on K-12 education. So this money could, if properly managed, be a game-changer.