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WHY ARE SO MANY STUDENTS FAILING MATH AND SCIENCE ASSESSMENTS?
It’s beyond depressing that two thirds of American high school seniors cannot do high school level math or science and a majority struggle with high school level English skills. Also depressing is that there isn’t a simple explanation and worse yet, no simple solution.
We want to bring you up to date and share our take on what’s behind the latest numbers from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the “nation’s report card.”
First the facts. The results of a battery of high school assessments of students attending traditional public and charter schools make clear that our schools are failing to help the vast majority of students master science, math and reading. The best of the news is that 35% of 12th graders have the English skills expected of high school seniors. In math and science, the results are even more disappointing. See more data here.
Why is this happening? The research points to the compounding effect of these four new realities that are pulling the rug out from under our children:
- We Didn’t Make Sure Kids Caught Up. Today’s high school students suffered the loss of nearly two years of critical middle school instruction during the pandemic. Yet they were promoted to higher grades without any indication they were ready for the classwork. School leaders failed to mount the big interventions that we now know were obviously needed.The public outcry over closing the schools was not matched by a public demand that school leaders take dramatic action to make sure students catch up. The school day and year wasn’t extended. School instruction changed little to accommodate the learning loss and extra help was voluntary and obviously too light touch.
- Social Media is Making our Kids Less Educated. In the last five years, the insidious and relentless efforts by social media companies to make children their number one customer is reducing the attention span of children. The devastating impact on mental health is evident to teachers who report historic levels of anxiety and students “acting out” in their classrooms. The compounding impact is making it harder for students to learn.
- Teachers Are Underpaid and Under-Supported. These days it takes superhero teachers to overcome the skills gaps and attention deficits that plague our schools. Classroom teaching is both harder and lower-paid than other options for college graduates. It’s clear that to attract and retain superstar teachers, schools need to offer more help and on-the-job training and higher salaries to overcome these challenges.
- Most Public School Students Are Growing Up in Poverty. The majority of students attending public school shifted to those in poverty in 2013 and it’s grown annually. This new reality means that schools must spend more on family support and extra help for students burdened with the toxic impact of poverty. Yet local tax bases and state funding systems have failed to keep pace with the need to give low-income children the supports to be strong learners.
The U.S. Secretary of Education responded to the results saying they are a clear argument to “return education to the states.” That statement leads most Americans to believe the lie that the federal government controls or even plays a big role in education. Public schools receive less than 7% of their funds from the federal government and it has no role in curricula, teacher training, or school operation. In spite of educational test results that point to peril for our standing in the global economy, the federal government wants to get out of the business altogether. The sentiment is irresponsible and simply traitorous to the future of the next generation.
The Secretary also expounded on the positive things she’s witnessed visiting private schools across the country. This statement was not by accident; it purposefully advanced the Administration’s push for private school vouchers. Ironically, the test results don’t inform any policy makers on the academic prowess of private or religious school students, because those schools choose not to participate in state or national assessments.
Are they doing better? Your guess is as good as President Trump’s. What is known is that in every state where there’s been an evaluation of voucher programs, low-income children and children of color hit lower achievement benchmarks than their public-school peers.
The days of continuing failed experiments with changing how schools are governed and diverting public funds for private education must come to an end. Lawmakers must face the fact that 91% of all students are in public schools and that’s not likely to change. Real investment in teacher salary and retention, teacher training, mental health supports, and social media controls are essential to a path forward.
We cannot waste one more year quibbling over small changes. Every one of us must demand, now, that our leaders understand these results for what they mean, and that is nothing short of a call to arms to build the 22nd century schools that offer our children the best education in the world. |
