New national test results reveal a persistent learning gap across the US, with no state achieving pre-pandemic proficiency levels in math and reading. Despite billions of dollars allocated to schools in pandemic relief funds, many students continue to struggle, particularly those in high-poverty districts facing higher absenteeism rates.
National test results released last month revealed a sobering reality: no state achieved pre-pandemic proficiency levels in both math and reading, despite schools receiving nearly $190 billion in federal pandemic relief funds. This alarming trend is playing out in schools across the nation, including Kramer Middle School in Washington, D.C., where eighth-grader Aiyden Wiggins confessed to struggling with math after transitioning back to full-time in-person learning.
He, along with his classmates, had spent approximately 1.5 years in remote learning during the height of the pandemic. Mohamed Koroma, an eighth-grade English Language Arts teacher at Kramer Middle School, echoed these concerns, stating, 'We're still trying to fill in those gaps that they didn't get at the lower levels. Because it's hard to grapple with the eighth-grade text if you are on a lower reading level.'Adding to the challenges, a new study conducted by Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth universities highlighted a widespread increase in absenteeism, particularly in high-poverty districts. Koroma emphasized the importance of student attendance, saying, 'The biggest thing is to just get them inside the building. Once we get them in the building, learning is gonna happen.' While the District of Columbia Public Schools saw a slight decrease in chronic absenteeism from 41% in the previous year to 37% for the 2023-2024 school year, the study underscored the persistent issue.However, amidst these struggles, the study also identified glimmers of hope. More than 100 local school districts across the nation demonstrated improvement in math and reading scores compared to pre-pandemic levels. Washington, D.C., while not yet reaching those benchmarks, made significant strides in recovery, ranking first in the country for progress in both math and reading over the past two years. This marked improvement stands in contrast to its previous ranking of 32nd in math recovery from 2019-2024 and fifth in reading during the same period. Kramer Middle School Principal Katreena Shelby attributed her school's turnaround to a shift in approach, stating, 'I started thinking maybe I need to think about this differently.' She implemented smaller classroom sizes and incorporated high-impact tutoring during school hours, a strategy proven successful in other districts. Washington also strategically allocated some of its pandemic funds to increase teacher numbers and provided $1,000 stipends to teachers who completed literacy training. Shelby highlighted the impact of these initiatives, saying, 'Giving kids that additional support in literacy and math didn't just impact how we were able to grow literacy skills, we also were able to reduce truancy by 20% in one year.' She added that witnessing their own academic progress served as a powerful motivator for students.
Education Learning Loss Pandemic Relief Test Scores Absenteeism High-Poverty Districts School Recovery
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