How COVID affected learning and well-being for low-income children
Succumbing, Surviving, and Thriving: The Development of Low-Income Students in the Long Shadow of COVID-19
Researchers are following children who were in pre-K and 1st grade before COVID to learn what helped or hurt their school success, attendance, and emotional health as they grow up.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Georgetown University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Washington, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11266122 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project follows children who were in pre-K or 1st grade before the pandemic through their later school years and into adolescence. The team combines school records, repeated tests of learning, attendance data, and parent and child surveys about emotions and behavior. They compare kids with different family, school, and neighborhood supports to see which factors help children recover. The goal is to produce findings schools and communities can use to target help where it works best.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are children who were in pre-K or 1st grade before the COVID closures—especially those from low-income families attending partnering public-school districts.
Not a fit: Children who were not enrolled in affected public schools, who moved away from partnering districts, or who cannot be reached for follow-up may not benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help schools, families, and policymakers provide better-targeted supports to improve learning, attendance, and mental health for low-income children affected by COVID.
How similar studies have performed: Smaller, less diverse studies have reported post-COVID learning loss and emotional strain, but this larger longitudinal approach with pre-pandemic baseline data is newer and more comprehensive.
Where this research is happening
Washington, United States
- Georgetown University — Washington, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Johnson, Anna D. — Georgetown University
- Study coordinator: Johnson, Anna D.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.