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• Short-term COVID-related learning losses in sub-Saharan Africa are up to one year. • The learning loss could accumulate to 2.8 years of long-term lost learning. • Targeted instruction and structured pedagogy reforms can mitigate learning losses. • Models suggest these reforms could improve pre-COVID learning levels. • Crisis presents historic opportunity to enact reforms to address learning crisis. We model learning losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for cost-effective strategies to build back better. Data from Early Grade Reading Assessments in Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, and Uganda suggest half to over a year's worth of learning loss. In modeling losses over time, we found that learning deficits for a child in grade 3 could lead to 2.8 years of lost learning by grade 10. While COVID-19 has stymied learning, bold, learning-focused reform consistent with the literature reviewed in this paper—specifically reform on targeted instruction and structured pedagogy—could improve learning even beyond pre-COVID-19 levels.

an: 150876593; source: International Journal of Educational Development; docTypes: Article; pubTypes: Academic Journal;