,,ii ,calendar ,no4 #ded #aagth         
,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,s4 #eeb     
,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united 
,,states  ,march #b 7legislative day1   
,march #a71 #bjba,mr4 ,cardin 7for      
himself1 ,mr4 ,boozman1 ,mr4 ,durbin1   
,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,casey1 ,mr4 ,van    
,hollen1 and ,ms4 ,collins7 introduced  
the following bill2 which was read twice
 and referred to the ,committee on      
,foreign ,relations  ,july #ba1         
#bjbb,reported by ,mr4 ,menendez1 with  
an amendment,strike out all after the   
enacting clause and insert the part     
printed in italic  ,a ,,bill  ,to direct
 the ,administrator of the ,united      
,states ,agency for ,international      
,development to submit to ,congress a   
report on the impact of the ,,covid-#ai 
pandemic on global basic education      
programs4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,global ,learning   
,loss ,assessment ,act of #bjba4  #b4   
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3 7#a7 ,before the ,coronavirus 

,disease #bjai 7commonly referred to as 
,,covid-#ai7 pandemic began1            
#beh1jjj1jjj children were out of       
school1 including #acj1jjj1jjj girls4   
7#b7 ,students already at a disadvantage
 before ,,covid-#ai will experience     
greater learning loss1 thereby worsening
 inequity and inequality4  7#c7         
,approximately #ij percent of the       
world's student population--over        
#a1fjj1jjj1jjj children and youth--have 
had their education disrupted by school 
closure due to ,,covid-#ai4  7#d7       
,school closures lead to interrupted    
learning1 poor nutrition1 gaps in       
childcare1 increased dropout rates1     
exposure to violence1 and social        
isolation4  7#e7 ,up to #bd1jjj1jjj     
children are at risk of dropping out of 
school permanently due to rising levels 
of child poverty associated with the    
pandemic4  7#f7 ,school closure and     
remote learning is especially burdensome
 on girls1 who are frequently expected  
to shoulder more household chores and   

responsibilities and are more vulnerable
 to gender-based violence4  7#g7 ,during
 the ,ebola epidemic1 nationwide school 
closures in ,sierra ,leone in #bjad led 
to increased instances of sexual- and   
gender-based violence1 teenage          
pregnancy1 school dropout1 and child    
labor for girls4  7#h7 ,more than #fj   
percent of national distance learning   
alternatives rely exclusively on online 
platforms but two-thirds of the world's 
school aged children1 or #a1cjj1jjj1jjj 
children aged #c to #ag1 do not have    
internet connection in their homes1 and 
schools and local learning centers also 
frequently have inadequate internet     
connectivity4 ,eighty percent of        
students in sub-,saharan ,africa lack   
such access1 with an even higher rate   
for girls4  7#i7 ,children and youth    
with disabilities are particularly      
vulnerable to the health1 education1 and
 socioeconomic consequences of the      
pandemic4 ,as a further challenge1      
distance learning tools are not always  

accessible to learners with disabilities
 or those with complex learning needs1  
especially in poorer and rural          
households4  7#aj7 ,before the          
,,covid-#ai pandemic1 refugee children  
were twice as likely to be out of school
 as other youth1 and school closures and
 a lack of access to distance learning  
tools threaten to make the education gap
 among refugee children even more       
severe4  7#aa7 ,the economic downturn   
caused by the ,,covid-#ai pandemic could
 lead to an education financing gap of  
#gg1jjj1jjj1jjj in low- and             
middle-income countries over the next   
two years4  7#ab7 ,the economic cost of 
school closures could be up to #a1ccg   
per student1 which on a global scale    
equates to approximately                
#aj1jjj1jjj1jjj1jjj in lost economic    
output over the coming generation4  #c4 
,statement of policy ,it is the policy  
of the ,united ,states that ,united     
,states-funded basic education programs 
operating in foreign countries should-- 

7#a7 provide inclusive learning         
opportunities for students and teachers1
 especially for the most marginalized1  
including girls and children with       
disabilities1 and previously out of     
school children2  7#b7 build local      
capacity and help countries strengthen  
their education systems1 including      
opportunities for early childhood       
development2  7#c7 improve the          
availability1 delivery1 and quality of  
education services from early childhood 
through secondary education2  7#d7      
improve equity and safety in education  
services2 and  7#e7 support the return  
of children to school who have          
experienced interruptions in their      
education due to the ,,covid-#ai        
pandemic and work to enroll previously  
out-of-school children and youth1       
particularly the most marginalized4  #d4
 ,report  7a7 ,in general ,not later    
than #ahj days after the date of the    
enactment of this ,act1 the             
,administrator of the ,united ,states   

,agency for ,international ,development1
 acting through the ,senior ,coordinator
 for ,international ,basic ,education   
,assistance and in consultation with the
 ,senior ,coordinator for ,gender       
,equality and ,women's ,empowerment1    
shall submit to the appropriate         
congressional committees a report on the
 impact of the ,,covid-#ai pandemic on  
,,usaid's basic education programs4  7b7
 ,matters ,to be included ,the report   
required under subsection 7a7 shall     
include1 at a minimum1 the following    
elements3 7#a7 ,an assessment of the    
magnitude of global learning loss that  
will result from protracted school      
closures1 including the specific effects
 of school closures on marginalized     
children and youth1 including girls1    
minority populations1 and those with    
disabilities4  7#b7 ,descriptions of the
 effectiveness1 cost1 accessibility1 and
 reach of the most commonly used forms  
of distance learning in low resource    
contexts4  7#c7 ,an overview of ,agency 

programs being carried out to continue  
learning during the ,,covid-#ai         
pandemic1 including existing data on    
funding and programmatic focus          
disaggregated by gender1 country1       
education level1 and disability4  7#d7  
,identification and description of any  
gaps in1 or barriers to1 reaching and   
educating marginalized populations1 such
 as girls1 children with disabilities1  
displaced children1 or other children   
adversely affected by the ,,covid-#ai   
pandemic with distance learning         
interventions4  7#e7 ,a description of  
the ,agency's plan and needed tools and 
resources to support continued distance 
learning interventions1 safe school     
reopening1 assessments of student       
learning levels1 remedial and           
accelerated learning1 reenrollment      
campaigns for out-of-school children and
 youth1 and education system            
strengthening and resilience building   
efforts4  7#f7 ,an analysis of the      
efforts of other actors in global basic 

education policy and programming to     
provide education during ,,covid-#ai1   
including partner organizations1 donors1
 and bilateral and multilateral         
organizations1 and the role of ,,usaid  
in those efforts4  7#g7 ,opportunities  
to partner and support efforts to expand
 access to digital infrastructure1      
internet connectivity1 and learning     
resources in areas that lack access to  
digital and remote learning             
infrastructure and resources1 including 
rural and remote communities4  7c7      
,public availability ,the report        
required by subsection 7a7 shall be made
 available to the public4  7d7          
,appropriate congressional committees   
defined ,in this section1 the term      
appropriate congressional committees    
means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,foreign 
,relations and the ,committee on        
,appropriations of the ,senate2 and     
7#b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs
 and the ,committee on ,appropriations  
of the ,house of ,representatives4  #a4 

,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,global ,learning ,loss ,assessment 
,act of #bjbb4  #b4 ,statement of policy
 ,it is the policy of the ,united       
,states that ,united ,states-funded     
basic education programs operating in   
low- and middle-income countries should 
seek to-- 7#a7 provide safe1 inclusive  
learning opportunities for students and 
teachers1 especially for the most       
marginalized1 including girls1 minority 
populations1 displaced children1        
children with disabilities1 and         
previously out of school children2  7#b7
 build local capacity and help countries
 strengthen the resilience of their     
education systems1 including            
opportunities for early childhood       
development2  7#c7 improve the          
availability1 delivery1 quality1 and    
equity of education services from early 
childhood through secondary education1  
including in remote1 home1 and          
school-based learning contexts2 and     
7#d7 support the safe return of children

 to school and work to enroll previously
 out-of-school children and youth1      
particularly the most marginalized4  #c4
 ,report  7a7 ,in general ,not later    
than #ahj days after the date of the    
enactment of this ,act1 the             
,administrator of the ,united ,states   
,agency for ,international ,development 
shall submit to the appropriate         
congressional committees a report on the
 impact of the ,,covid-#ai pandemic on  
,united ,states ,agency for             
,international ,development basic       
education programs4  7b7 ,matters ,to   
,be included ,the report required under 
subsection 7a7 shall include1 at a      
minimum1 the following elements3 7#a7   
,an assessment of-- 7,a7 the impact of  
the ,,covid-#ai pandemic on such basic  
education programs1 including existing  
data on the magnitude of learning loss  
that has resulted from protracted school
 closures1 disaggregated by gender2     
7,b7 the specific effects of school and 
learning space closures on marginalized 

children and youth served by ,,usaid    
basic education programs1 such as girls1
 minority populations1 displaced        
children1 and those with disabilities2  
7,c7 the capacity constraints faced by  
partner countries and affected          
communities in ensuring safe and healthy
 in-person learning environments and    
delivering effective remote learning    
alternatives1 disaggregated by urban    
versus rural communities and            
historically underserved or marginalized
 communities2  7,d7 the impact on       
children's education beyond school      
closures1 particularly for girls who    
lost access to education due to         
increased household and childcare duties
 during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic2 and   
7,e7 available data on the percentage of
 students who are returning to school   
upon reopening1 disaggregated by gender4
  7#b7 ,an overview of-- 7,a7 how       
,,usaid1 independently and in           
coordination with partners1 has adapted 
basic education programming during the  

,,covid-#ai pandemic to support         
continued learning2  7,b7 barriers that 
,,usaid has experienced or observed to  
reaching students with effective and    
equitable distance learning             
opportunities while schools have been   
closed as a public health precaution    
during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic1        
including with respect to marginalized  
populations such as girls1 minority     
populations1 displaced children1 and    
those with disabilities2 and  7,c7      
education interventions1 best practices1
 and innovations deployed in middle- and
 lower-income countries that are        
enabling the continued delivery of high 
quality and equitable basic education   
despite challenges caused by the        
,,covid-#ai pandemic4  7#c7 ,a          
description of-- 7,a7 ,,usaid's plans to
 support1 as safe and practicable1      
high-quality distance learning          
interventions1 re-enrollment initiatives
 for out-of-school children and youth1  
school reopening1 assessments of student

 learning levels1 remedial and          
accelerated learning1 and education     
system strengthening and                
resilience-building efforts2  7,b7      
,,usaid's approach to addressing the    
social and health risks stemming from   
school closures necessitated by the     
,,covid-#ai pandemic1 particularly with 
respect to marginalized children and    
youth such as girls1 minority           
populations1 displaced children1 and    
children with disabilities2  7,c7       
opportunities for ,,usaid to partner    
with other international development    
actors and organizations1 including     
other donors1 the ,united ,states       
,international ,development ,finance    
,corporation1 multilateral banks1       
faith-based institutions1 local and     
international organizations1 and the    
private sector1 to enable continued     
access to quality basic education in    
public health emergencies1 including    
through efforts to support expanded     
access to digital infrastructure1       

internet connectivity1 and learning     
resources in areas that lack access to  
such infrastructure and resources2 and  
7,d7 any additional authorities and     
resources required by ,,usaid to execute
 the activities described in            
subparagraphs 7,a71 7,b71 and 7,c74  7c7
 ,public availability ,the report       
required by subsection 7a7 shall be made
 available to the public4  7d7          
,appropriate congressional committees   
defined ,in this section1 the term      
appropriate congressional committees    
means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,foreign 
,relations and the ,committee on        
,appropriations of the ,senate2 and     
7#b7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs
 and the ,committee on ,appropriations  
of the ,house of ,representatives4      
,july #ba1 #bjbb,reported with an       
amendment