Teach For America New Jersey reposted this
Today’s release of the Nation’s Report Card tells a story that is too familiar, but one that we cannot accept as the status quo: our education system has not evolved fast enough to meet the needs of this generation of students or to set them up with the learning, experiences, and skills they need to learn, lead, and thrive in the 21st century. The results from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 4th- and 8th-grade math and reading assessments show that student learning continues to decline in reading and is not progressing enough in math to make up for pandemic learning losses. We’re not doing right by our kids and they deserve better. The good news is we know what works, and we need to invest in that now. When students read proficiently by 3rd grade and master certain math principles by 4th and 8th grades, they are more likely to graduate high school and to be prepared for college and careers, putting them on track to have agency and freedom in their lives, to fuel our economy, and to make their greatest contributions to their communities and country and strengthen our democracy. To get there we have to work together and invest in high-quality, evidence-based curricula and professional development for educators alongside high-dosage math and reading tutoring for students. We also have to embrace the idea that every child can be a reader and be good at math. And we need to leave room for innovation so that our education system can keep up with what students need from a 21st-century education. The potential is there, we just have to match it with investments and support for all students. In the 35 years since our founding, Teach For America’s “why” has remained consistent — to create a world where one day, all children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education. The stakes are too high for us not to unite around this simple belief and work with a shared commitment to kids and communities. Seventy-thousand people have joined our teacher corps and Ignite tutoring fellowship with this abiding belief. We look forward to continuing to recruit, train, and support the next generation of teachers and tutors and working alongside others, including our alumni – at the classroom and systems level – to ensure every child in every neighborhood can receive the education they deserve.
Classroom size needs to be modified. 40 children per classroom is just too many! It's an unfair strain on the teachers and too easy for students to get lost in the group and fail to thrive academically. As you stated the education system has not evolved fast enough to meet the needs of these students. There are exemplary models where students are thriving. Maybe these new numbers can help drive needed change.
Thanks to the excessive use of cell phones, computers and tablets in early age, and without limits. Sadly truth - children reading skills are really in decline.
LAUSD, one of the largest school districts in the USA, doesn't know what they are doing regarding teaching reading comprehension. Children can read words but they don't comprehend what they are reading and therefore score very low on standardize tests. I am a retired LAUSD teacher, with a Masters Degree in Reading and several CA teaching credentials and I know for a fact that the kids don't read the tests and guess on many of the answers because they don't like reading. The state of California requires districts to spend money on materials so the district is constantly changing the way teachers teach kids how to read. Also, a larger portion of parents in CA state don't read to their kids at a young age. They don't read themselves in English so reading to their kids in their languages or not reading at all doesn't help early learners. Kids fall very behind in reading. LAUSD and the state of California get your act together. These scores show that you don't know what you are doing.
This is a great conversation, I'm just wondering if those that need to hear this most are going to hear it (and act.)
And, in Pittsburgh Public Schools, no summer school programs. Go figure. So, Citiparks should pick up the slack. I can't hold my breath as I want to live another day.
This is beyond frustrating coming from a teacher! Reading is just not cool to these kids when there is Tik Tok and new American dream of being an influencer or tech bro. We got people like MR. Beast on national commercials saying he hates reading and all these vip types saying they have hacks for reading and other bs. Just read. ITs that simple. They need to read when they are bored and not just look at content. We can teach them for hours everyday, but if they dont find it in themselves to read and find value in it, then the mission will fail. Dont blame it on the teachers!
Graphic novels don’t help either. It is such a dumbed down version of most books. Our kids need to read a wide variety of material- not just non-fiction material. They need to read actual books.
Educational Research Fellow, University of Missouri-Saint Louis
2moThis is an important moment. Our kids are facing post-pandemic challenges, defunding of public education, and learning loss while politicians use their education as a political battering ram and the experts have been dismissed. With little prospects or potential earnings in academic institutions, today's best and brightest have been snatched up by special interests and tasked with probing at old fault lines. It's this weaponization of research, branded with new terms like Science of Reading or Balanced Literacy that has resurrected decades-old debates between Phonics Instruction and Whole Language. But the answer has never been either/or. Kids need explicit, sequenced phonics instruction *and engaging texts *and quality learning environments. What they don't need is for adults to drag them back into decades past for political gain. They deserve better than false dichotomies and partisan bluster. It's time to say "Yes/And"