This research brief examines two components of school recovery post-COVID pandemic to better understand recovery patterns. These include initial declines in average achievement and post-pandemic gains in average achievement across schools. By understanding these different recovery patterns, the brief offers insights to policy makers and leaders where to invest for long-term improvement and targeting support where it is needed most.

This is the technical appendix to the research brief titled, “From loss to recovery: Diverging paths and uneven gains across schools,” which examines two components of school recovery post-COVID pandemic to better understand recovery patterns.

This user’s guide for the MAP Growth Goal Explorer describes how to use this interactive tool, the benchmarks it uses to provide context on student growth goals, a framework for goal setting, instructions for how to download information from the tool, and answers to frequently asked questions.

This research brief is a follow-up report to NWEA’s brief examining the impact of extreme weather disruptions to teaching and learning. This report offers practical strategies and recommendations to school districts for preparing for extreme weather events to recover faster and lessen the impact on students and teachers.

This NWEA white paper explores the impacts of permanent school closures on communities. Findings suggest that despite challenges facing districts and the increased rhetoric around closures, most districts have continued to keep schools open; however, when schools were permanently closed, all communities are not affected equally: high poverty and high percentage Black students are more likely to close.

This NWEA research brief examines how access to early Algebra – a key gateway to advanced high school math, STEM majors, and higher lifetime earnings – remains highly inequitable across the United States. Using NWEA data from 162,000 eighth-grade students across 22 states, the study looks at both whether schools offer Algebra by 8th grade and how students are placed when it is offered. The findings point to significant gaps tied to school poverty levels, geography, and race/ethnicity.

This is the technical appendix to the “Unequal Access to 8th-Grade Algebra: How School Offerings and Placement Practices Limit Opportunity” research brief, which examines how access to early Algebra remains highly inequitable across the United States.