Tens of millions of children suffered when schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Many lost access to food, heat and safety. A couple years on, we can see the effects clearly –

academic losses, mental health challenges as well as persistent social and emotional problems. 

Anya Kamenetz, a former NPR education correspondent, talked to children and families across the country about how they coped (or didn't) during the pandemic. She details these conversations and insights from experts in her new book (her fifth!), “The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives and Where We Go Now.” 

Kamenetz also discusses "the cruelty of remote learning," what other countries did differently and why education reporters need to own that they’re experts when it comes to children's well-being.