There's going to be a lot of spin from all sides about the cause of these test score declines. It's important to see the full context: skills in math and reading have been slipping since the 2010's. For context, "basic" skills in 4th grade include identifying main ideas & understanding number lines.

The one bright spot? Louisiana and Alabama. LA is the only state that has exceeded its pre-pandemic scores in 4th grade reading, and AL for 4th-grade math. Both states have majorly reformed how they teach reading, and Alabama's 2022 Numeracy Act aimed to overhaul math as well.

Despite $190 billion in federal spending for academic recovery, a worryingly high number of children in the U.S. still struggle to read -- a trend that began well before the pandemic.

“They’re not even at risk of deportation and they’re still scared." Schools are fielding calls from parents worried about raids. One expected so many students to miss class the day after Trump took office that it accelerated its exam schedule so kids wouldn't miss tests. apnews.com/article/trum...

She wanted to be a nurse. He was a father of two. He was a talented football player. She was a single mom. He was an executive. They were celebrating the hopes of a new year. They all were so very young. apnews.com/article/new-...

As part of AP's ongoing coverage of chronically absent kids, we partnered with ICT to zoom in on Native American communities. Poverty, generational trauma, cultural bias & an entrenched distrust of schools have contributed to especially high rates of Native absenteeism.
apnews.com/article/scho...

Chronic absenteeism is a crisis for schools across America, but Native students have been particularly hard-hit. We explore how one school district in Arizona is using cultural success coaches to help families address challenges that keep students from coming to school.

"If 'you constantly threaten people with the possibility of mass deportation, it really inhibits peoples’ ability to function in society and for their kids to get an education.'"

Bianca Vázquez Toness on the implications of Trump's mass deportation pledge for schools: apnews.com/article/immi...

"Texas’ plans to implement Biblical teachings in public school lesson plans is the latest effort by Republican-controlled states to bring religion into the classroom." apnews.com/article/texa...

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