America's students are behind.
Learning losses during the pandemic haven't caught up, according to a report card from the National Center for Education Statistics.
The average student is half a grade level behind in reading and math, according to the report, but results varied by state.
Student test scores in Pennsylvania and Ohio hit the average, while Florida and Michigan are two-thirds of a year behind. For Maine, Oregon and Vermont, students are closer to a year behind.
The report, compiled by researchers from Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth, compared math and reading test scores of 4th grade and 8th grade students from 2019 and 2024.
Tom Kane, an economist and faculty director of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, highlighted two big take-aways from the report: students are still behind despite recovery efforts and achievement gaps between socioeconomic groups have widened.
There were some gains in math scores between 2022 and 2024, Kane said, but reading losses have continued. The trend in reading declines started before the pandemic.
"And so we're worried that maybe this is just reflective of some longer term trends," Kane said.
On the issue of inequality, Kane called the results striking. Lower-income schools were far less likely to recover learning losses than higher income districts. It's a point that could be missed when looking at state averages, according to Kanes.
"School closures were a public health measure taken on behalf of all of us. But the people who are paying the price for those are children, actually, especially poor children. And I don't think most people would be proud of that," Kane said.
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Higher income districts were nearly four times as likely to recover than poorer districts. Today, the gap is wider than it was five years ago. Wider achievement gaps were also seen between Black and Latino students compared to White and Asian students, even when in the same communities.
With federal relief dollars that helped fund recovery efforts, researchers highlighted a need for a long-term recovery plan, not just recovering from losses due to the pandemic.
Chronic absenteeism played a significant role in students' performances. It's an ongoing issue in districts across the country.
"What people need to remember is that when a child misses school, obviously they miss learning. But when they return, their peers also miss learning because the teachers are having to reteach the same material and that gets worse," said Kane.
Lowering absenteeism is something community leaders outside of schools can help with. Public information campaigns, community organizations, school activities and parents can help draw students back to school. All those things add up, said Kane.
Communication is also key. Parents may not know how far behind their child is without communication between teacher and students.
Communication between states and districts could also make a positive impact. Certain districts like in Compton, Calif. and Union City, New Jersey outperformed their peers. For districts struggling, learning about successes could help make up losses.
Early research indicates afterschool tutoring and summer school made a positive impact.
