Students across the U.S. are failing to make up the losses to their education, cultivated through mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though some of America’s schools are starting to catch up from losses to education during the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of children are still failing in basic classes, according to an article published in June by The Associated Press. The outlet called the progress made by U.S. schools “slow and uneven across geography and economic status, with millions of students — often those from marginalized groups — making up little or no ground.” Only one-third of students made up their losses in math during the past school year, while just a quarter did the same in reading. In nine states, reading scores continued to fall throughout the 2022-2023 school year, following on from previous decreases during the pandemic. (LEARN MORE: State Shows Huge Success With School Choice)
Financial Crisis Causing Educational Loss
A “looming financial crisis” is making it harder for kids and schools to recover. Though the education system received $190 billion in federal pandemic relief, the funds run out toward the end of 2024. “The recovery is not finished, and it won’t be finished without state action,” Harvard economist Thomas Kane told the outlet. “States need to start planning for what they’re going to do when the federal money runs out in September. And I think few states have actually started that discussion.” (LEARN MORE: School Choice Fuels Innovation, Experts Say) Lawmakers in Virginia and Massachusetts have set aside additional funds to aid in the recovery. This money will go toward math and literacy tutoring, as well as other potential strategies to get America’s youth to where they need to be educationally. (LEARN MORE: Universal School Choice Enacted In 10th State. What Does This Mean For You?)
Community Keeps Us Going
The government may think your child’s life and education career is best conducted under their rule, but we know that parents should always come first. There are entire cities where public schools can’t educate one student to math proficiency — do you really want this for your child’s educational experience? You can tell your local, state, and federally elected officials how you want your public schools to look today. Sign up for www.MillionVoices.org today (text MV to 80550). We’ll ensure your voice is heard. Our mission is to ensure the voice of voters and taxpayers is turned into action, and your elected officials are held responsible for their actions.