Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Let’s Review

There are a few things that we all know are true these days … namely what “those that know best” did during Covid did not actually turn out for the best. This is especially true for school children. Let’s review how this “enlightened decision” to keep kids out of school affected children both nationally, regionally, and locally.

Nationally:

Federal data released Feb. 9 painted a bleak picture for education in the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many students were forced to learn at home due to lockdown orders instituted by state governments that closed down public schools. Over the past year, the nation has seen the consequences of these measures as children are struggling to maintain proficiency levels in subjects like math and reading.

The Washington Times reported:

“A paltry 26% of eighth graders were considered proficient in math in 2022 — down from 34% in 2019 before the pandemic, the most recent year the national report card was issued. Fourth graders in over 40 states saw their math scores decline. Only 36% scored proficient, down from 41%.

“Reading scores offered little solace, with only one-third of fourth graders marked proficient, continuing a slide that began before the coronavirus hit. Only 31% of eighth graders received proficient scores, the lowest average since 1998.”

From Liberty Nation News:

Almost half of K-12 public school students started this academic year behind in their grade level in at least one subject based on a national survey. The most common areas of concern were math and reading. However, it could be worse if your child lived in Democratic Baltimore, where a recent analysis of Baltimore public schools revealed that only 7% of their third through eighth graders were proficient in math.

The Washington Times reported:

“The 49% of 1,026 schools who told the National Center for Education Statistics’ [NCES] latest School Pulse Panel that their students started the year behind a grade level is statistically unchanged from last school year. But it’s much worse than the 36% of students before the coronavirus pandemic who started the school year on the wrong track, according to the agency, which is the statistical arm of the Department of Education.”

Mental health is also an issue, with experts explaining that safety concerns over recent school shootings, a shortage of teachers, and the increasing numbers of children seeking help for anxiety and depression all contributed to the decline in academic proficiency.

Regionally from EdSource:

After five straight years of gradual improvement, standardized test scores declined significantly last year for many California students, most of whom spent 2020-21 in distance learning. Gaps in achievement between Black and Hispanic students and their white and Asian peers, already wide before the pandemic, expanded in math and English language arts.

Locally:

Here in San Diego, a recent report confirmed what I have said innumerable times. Namely, that in this enlightened Democratic state, the Covid educational dictums significantly adversely affected those children in the lower economic spectrum. (In San Diego the school children who live in the less affluent communities south of I-8 did worse on standardized testing when compared to the school children who live north of I-8.) Of note, in general, the majority of the minority school children live south of I-8. Need I say more.

Again from Liberty Nation News:

“‘This data is tragic but expected. Every level of leadership in the school system is distracted from academics,’ said Sheri Few, president of United States Parents Involved in Education. ‘Government schools are so utterly focused on sexualizing children and indoctrinating them against their country and each other that real academic learning is clearly not the priority.’”

My question is … “Will the children that we have entrusted to be educated by the public school system ever recover?”

3/20/23

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