Lockdowns Had Bigger Impact on Girls Than Boys in School: Study

The COVID-19 lockdowns negatively impacted the educational attainment of girls more than boys, analysis has found. According to a study by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) published on Monday, outcomes for girls fell in primary and secondary school mathematics as well as secondary reading. Girls remained mostly ahead of their male peers, with girls still outperforming boys in reading, but the gaps between girls and boys had narrowed. The head of analysis and the director for school performance and systems at EPI, Jon Andrews, said that what was “particularly striking” in the analysis is that “girls’ attainment appears to have been hit harder by the pandemic [lockdowns] than it has for boys, with gaps in reading closing and boys pulling further ahead in primary maths.”...