New research finds that spending cuts following the 2007 economic recession had significant impacts on student achievement, particularly in districts serving low-income and minority populations.

The study, led by Penn State University’s Kenneth Shores and George Mason University’s Matthew Steinberg, found that students in counties most affected by the recession lost approximately a quarter of their expected annual gains between grades three and eight, compared to students in the least impacted counties.

Shores and Steinberg join CPRE Knowledge Hub managing editor Keith Heumiller to discuss their findings, and some important lessons learned from one of the most challenging periods in American history.

Featured research: Shores, Kenneth, and Matthew P. Steinberg. “Schooling During the Great Recession: Patterns of School Spending and Student Achievement Using Population Data.” AERA Open, (July 2019)