"Not Conducive to Good Education": Insights from Interviews with High School Math Teachers about the Academic Impacts of COVID-19 in the Classroom

This study explores the academic impacts of COVID-19 and virtual learning on high school math students in the United States. Previous research has found that COVID-19 led to significant declines in engagement and test scores, alongside a widening opportunity gap among students of different backgrounds. This study interviewed high school math teachers from two private schools to understand what they have observed of students both during the pandemic and now. The findings reveal that the virtual learning experience had a limited negative impact on most students in these two schools, but teachers expressed concerns about the limitations of the virtual learning environment. However, the transition to high school for students who were in grade school during the pandemic has been challenging as students are falling behind in key areas such as algebra. These findings align with previous research on student achievement following the pandemic, as well as with previous research on the growing opportunity gap and how schools that reopened earlier fared better overall. This research highlights the ongoing challenges schools face post-pandemic in education and calls for future research into the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and virtual learning.