Opinion: New federal funding alone won’t be enough to help students catch up in the classroom post pandemic

While USD 122 billion in federal funding for education under the 'American rescue plan act' is a step in the right direction, policy experts argue it is not enough to help students catch up after the COVID-19 pandemic. Vincent Quan, Co-executive director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) North America, emphasises the need for targeted interventions that address the specific needs of students. Quan suggests that the federal funding should be used to support research and pilot programmes that can be scaled up to benefit more students, and argues that ongoing policy evaluations are necessary to ensure that the interventions are effective and that resources are being used efficiently.