OTHER STORIES

Interactive Map Identifies Schools Beating The Odds in Reading Scores

The74

High-achieving Students Deserve to Be Challenged in School

Brookings

Immigrant Student Enrollment Down Amid Stepped-Up Enforcement

EdWeek

Schools Tapping Young Adults to Serve as Mental Health Navigators

EdSurge

Anonymous Donor Gives D.C. $20 Million to Boost Math Scores

WPost

Students’ Thoughts on Literacy

Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, showed that a third of the 12th graders who were tested did not have basic reading skills. Reporters asked teenagers for their reaction. There was a strong consensus: They were alarmed, but not surprised. Students from across the country told us they see the decline firsthand in their classrooms. They pointed to a combination of factors, including lost learning during the pandemic, the overwhelming workload of modern high school, lowered academic standards and, most of all, the relentless pull of screens that has, in their words, decimated attention spans. Students also made suggestions for how schools, teachers, parents and kids themselves could address the problem. NYTimes

Do School Closures Still Matter?

In the fall of 2020, many school systems remained closed for in- person instruction citing concerns over the still-raging COVID-19 pandemic. Some did not fully reopen until the following school year. Studies have generally found that schools that stayed closed longer experienced greater drops in student test scores. This researchers looks at the data to find out if this is still true. The author points out that even school systems that very quickly reopened continue to be behind academically. So, the persistent learning loss may not be driven by the closure decisions from the fall of 2020. Chalkbeat

Reality Under Universal School Vouchers

Florida public schools are experiencing declining enrollment. As in many places across the country, part of this is due to the decline in the number of school-age children. But there’s also the growing popularity of school choice, which has a big impact on school budgets. Leon County, Florida anticipates cutting about $6 million next year from the district budget, which could mean reduced services for students and even school closures. As districts scramble for students, some are hiring consultants to help recruit and are also trying to sell seats in existing classes to homeschoolers. There is also the instability of students frequently switching schools — and of new charter or voucher schools that open and then shut down. Hechinger