Introducing the Canadian Psychiatrist MSNBC Relies on for School Shutdown Support

Remote learning loss is ‘dangerous myth,’ Mehdi Hasan says ‌with help from University of British Columbia’s​ Tyler Black

MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan is using a⁣ Canadian psychiatrist and self-described video game expert to challenge the widely believed notion ⁣that pandemic-era school ⁣shutdowns led to learning loss in children. Education policy experts in ⁤the United States find this argument laughable.

In an August 24 segment titled, “The​ shocking truth about kids, Covid, and school closures,” Hasan argued that there is no evidence ⁣to support the claim that school shutdowns negatively impacted academic ⁤performance. Dr. Tyler Black,⁤ a child psychiatrist at the University of British Columbia, is central to Hasan’s argument. Black, who specializes in “video games,” “media,” and “screen time,” provided data from a few school districts to support Hasan’s claim that remote schools sometimes performed‍ better than in-person ones.

However, experts in the United States criticize Black’s use of “cherry-picked” data and argue that more ‌comprehensive studies show that remote ⁢learning did indeed have a negative impact on students. Fordham Institute⁢ president Michael Petrilli states, “The overwhelming scientific consensus is ⁤that⁤ the degree of learning loss students experienced is strongly related to the amount of time they spent away from school.” Michael Hartney, ⁢a fellow ‌at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, bluntly criticizes Black, saying he should “stay in his lane.”

Hasan’s defense of virtual learning comes at a time when Democrats are facing criticism for their support of prolonged school shutdowns,‍ especially⁣ as reading and math scores in ⁣the United States reach historic lows. Hasan laments⁤ that criticism of school closures is not just ⁢coming from Republicans.

Hasan goes on to cite⁤ figures from Black comparing test scores in California and Florida. However, experts argue that comparing numbers across different states fails to account for local variations in reopening‍ efforts. Ohio‍ State University education‍ policy researcher Vladimir Kogan states,​ “If you look at that data within states, you see a very strong‍ relationship between the length‍ of school closures and academic decline. ⁣So to say that at the state ‌level there’s⁢ not a strong relationship [between school closures and learning loss] really is ​very weak evidence.”

Black praised Hasan’s segment after its release but later announced that he was taking a Twitter break as the segment attracted mainstream criticism ​online.

This is not the first time Hasan has relied on Black to defend school closures. In 2022, Black appeared on Hasan’s show to ⁣argue that the mental health impacts of missing school are “likely negligible,” but‌ failed to provide substantial data to support ⁢this claim.