As schools open, how will those behind catch up?

It is back-to-school season, and millions of students across the country are returning to classrooms to embark on a new academic year. While some children braved in-person learning armed with masks and social distancing this past school year, others haven’t been in a physical classroom in well over a year.

Across the age spectrum, students have indisputably been short-changed of critical social and academic experiences. Children who were progressing through their kindergarten year when the pandemic hit in March of 2020 are now walking into second-grade classrooms, while students who were sophomores when schools first shuttered are suddenly high school seniors...