ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter draws on the emergent literature to provide a preliminary overview of the impact of the pandemic on K-12 student learning losses and reports on non-cognitive trends documented globally in the aftermath of the pandemic such as deteriorations in socio-emotional learning, mental and physical health. Examples of prominent education policies and interventions that have been adopted to address these cognitive and non-cognitive student outcomes will be highlighted. The authors outline the types of evidence that currently exist and the strengths and limitations of the evidence used to enact pandemic-related education policies. The introduction also explains the rationale for the selection of educational jurisdictions that are represented in this volume. A framework for the national profiles presented in the second part of this book and limitations of this edited volume are also discussed. The chapter situates the importance of the volume within a broader global context, arguing that the pandemic and resulting research provide an illustration of the educational impacts of unexpected, devastating events that suddenly change the learning environment, and the differential impacts on these sudden changes on vulnerable student populations.
