By Paul Weinstein Jr., PPI’s Senior Fellow
At the end of October, the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) released the nation’s so-called “report card” for 2022. The conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly set back educational achievement for the nation’s school children.
Math scores have now declined to their lowest levels since the tests were first offered in in 1990, with scores for fourth grade students plunging by five points and eight points for eighth grade students. Reading scores also fell — by three points overall. Researchers note that a decline of about 10 points is equivalent to one year’s worth of learning.
There is plenty of fault to go around on the left and right for the mismanagement of public schools during the pandemic, and the resulting negative impact on student achievement. But rather than playing the blame game, it’s time for elected officials to come together and offer solutions that will help students close the get back on track before it’s too late.
