The Post-Pandemic Learning Crisis: Declining Educational Performance in the U.S.

By: TPS Staff

The well‑respected assessment of educational progress in the U.S. is administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). For decades they have tested different grade levels on multiple subjects all around the country. When COVID-19 struck, schools had trouble bouncing back. The disease closed in-person instruction, causing long periods of online school and absences. Combine this with the increasing use of social media or other screen distractions, and schools across the country are facing declining results compared to years before.

The NAEP provided the math and reading scores administered to high school seniors for the first time since before COVID-19, and the results are concerning. The steady decline of test scores since 2019 is continuing, as 45% of students in math and 32% in reading were performing below the basic level. The results were also the lowest scores on record with a larger gap between top and bottom performers, which is worrisome as struggling students are falling further behind. The potential impact is very alarming, as the future of our generation enters the workforce with fewer skills and less basic knowledge when more is often required.

While the results are undoubtedly alarming, concerns over common classroom problems across the country are in debate. What seems to be the largest issue is screen time. Whether in class or out of class, screens are a tremendous distraction to daily lives and especially learning. Scholars point out that over time learning methods change and how students use technology within education is important, but they also note that reading time has been replaced with screen time.

Additionally, schools are being forced to lock phones up during class time and monitor the use of AI to complete assignments. Other key issues involve misbehavior in the classroom and the reforming of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) focusing less on standardized testing results.

In fairness, not everything is at the fault of the student or the faculty. The previous tests were administered only a couple of years ago and may not have allowed enough time for the students to recover or catch up. The educational policy is mostly set at state and local levels, so state-by-state results (which weren’t available for these tests) would give a more accurate reading and a way to look at successful states and their policies or practices. Graduation rates have also increased, which in return creates a space where more low-performers are taking the test than before. Some evidence has even shown that international testing has seen similar results.

Despite the critiques of the NAEP’s process, the results are still the worst ever recorded, and something needs to change. Graduation rates may have increased since the last reports, but with lowering baseline and overall scores, this potentially points to a declining standard or qualifications to graduate. Furthermore, the consistently lower scores have been trending downward since before covid, and other testing scores show the same results. If nothing changes, future graduates may be entering the workforce or higher education with less preparation than in past decades.