School Closures and the Online Preparedness of Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This Economic Insights article discusses the potential impact of recent school closures on learning and academic performance of school children as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. To benefit from online resources, students require access to internet-enabled devices that are suitable for learning. The article estimates the percentage of households with children under the age of 18 with access to these learning tools by level of household income, and also discusses the potential impact of receiving no instruction on academic performance based on an earlier Statistics Canada study.