Students' math, reading scores during COVID-19 pandemic saw steepest decline in decades: Education Department
FOX NewsDec 24, 2022
Report: US Math, Reading Scores Plummet During Pandemic
Image copyright: Getty Images [via The Washington Post]
The Facts
According to a National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report released on Thur., the COVID pandemic contributed to the largest drop in reading and math scores among 9-year-olds in more than 30 years.
NAEP - which began tracking student achievement in the 1970s - is known to be the gold standard in testing.
The Spin
Republican narrative
This recent report shows how lockdowns and school closures set back millions of American students, and parents should be outraged. The Biden admin. overrode common practice at the command of intransigent teachers' unions, and students are now paying the price.
Democratic narrative
While the overall report is alarming, the most concerning part is the discrepancy in scores among minorities. The latest data is further evidence of an ever-increasing racial gap in education that will likely extend throughout these students' academic careers, and will have long-lasting effects. Something needs to be done.
Cynical narrative
Public education has been declining for quite some time. Scores have been down while violence in schools has been increasing, and remote learning due to the pandemic was the nail in the coffin. All of these issues had a hand in what is now a struggling education system that may not rebound for years to come.