This week we offer a puzzle to which I have no answer.  McKinsey recently came out with a study of how a shift to remote learning has affected test scores of students in elementary school. The impact of school closures has been large and negative and has had the effect of exacerbating the gap between White students and students of color. 

The Puzzle

Leaving aside the racial gap, what explains the increasing drop-off as students (both White and nonwhite) get older? I don’t have the answer, but, if you think you do, send us a note.