Academic performance among America’s students started sliding long before coronavirus forced schools to close their doors, according to new findings that challenge common assumptions about pandemic-related learning loss.
While educators and policymakers have largely attributed declining test scores to COVID-19 disruptions, evidence reveals that student achievement had already been dropping for several years prior to 2020.
The revelation puts a new perspective on what many considered exclusively pandemic-related educational setbacks. However, there’s encouraging news as certain school districts across the country are now demonstrating meaningful progress in reversing these trends.
Educational leaders say understanding the true timeline of academic decline is crucial for developing effective strategies to help students recover and excel moving forward.
