Let’s hit reset. No, let’s not reset to what we were before.
Our education system is fundamentally broken. In the 2018 PISA results the US ranked 36th out of 79 countries in math. For what it is worth, the math ranking has not really improved for the US since the first PISA test in 1967 (US ranked 11th out of 12). In the overall average of Reading, Science, and Math, the US ranks number 25.
The 2022 NAEP results saw major declines in math and reading for fourth and eighth graders when comparing 2019 (pre-pandemic) results to 2022. The declines were the largest ever in mathematics. In fact, there were no improvements in math in any state or any large urban districts. And, for eighth graders, there were declines in math in 51 of the participating states between 2019 and 2022.
Sobering facts, right? Consider these:
March 2020: $13.2 BILLION allotted for the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER I)
December 2020: $54.3 BILLION appropriated for ESSER II
March 2021: $122 BILLION package of assistance for the American Rescue Plan ESSER
Are you adding it up? Nearly $190 BILLION poured into education in 12 months.
Fast forward two years…are we better? Have we closed the gaps? Recovered the learning loss? NO.
So how do we reset? We don’t go back to the way it was and we don’t keep doing what we have always done. Instead, states, districts, schools, and parents need to be empowered to create and deliver the curriculum, instruction, and learning opportunities that support their individual needs. Allow our educational institutions to leverage the sound research of learning science in their instruction. Enable our schools to provide learning that is practical and of greater value to their community and environment. Promote both vocational and academia.
But wait! How do we know foundational skills will be taught? We expect it, we use them as a FOUNDATION to build upon; we don’t mandate it and assess it relentlessly. We apply the skills in real world situations and problems so that it is inherently required to know and understand to continue learning. The old analogy goes that a pig doesn’t get fatter if you just keep weighing it.
So, let’s not hit the reset button on education. Let’s hit the reform button.
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