Back to school season is upon us. That means shopping for supplies. The return of school buses on the road and the end of summer. But ever since the pandemic schools have been functioning *** little differently. So what's new? This is clarified? We all want to put the pandemic behind us and bury it into some dark part of our collective memory. Trust us. We know. Unfortunately, the truth is we can't not when it's still affecting the next generation. Let's rewind. The mysterious respiratory virus has killed two and sickened at least 45 in Asia. The first death in the United States from the virus. The superintendent says schools here will be closed until March 27th. Amid concerns over COVID-19. For the next two weeks, classes will take place through remote learning. Child has 20 students since remote learning began, she's been able to make contact with 15. She typically has 5 to 6 students log on to her classroom hang out at *** time. Two years of disruption to learning, lack of socializing, less accountability and the fear of getting sick has tremendously impacted America's Children. Schools might not feel that different but ever since COVID-19 upended our lives. They have been struggling looking around the classroom. Kids may notice fewer students and may even miss some of their friends. According to an *** P and Stanford study, 1.2 million school Children remain missing from public schools since the pandemic hit. But where did they go? Well, around 14% of the kids that disenrolled from public schools since the pandemic have headed to private schools. The reasons for this range but commonly cited are religious teaching, specialized attention and better mental health. I couldn't sacrifice my kids' safety and health and mental well-being. Um By staying in the schools, another 26% of the absent public school students are being home schooled. In fact, home schooling has seen *** 30% increase since 2019. According to the National Center for education statistics, the most popular reason for home schooling is *** concern about the school environment from safety to peer pressure safety. You know, you hear all these shootings at school. So that's one of my concerns. Other top reasons are wanting to implement religious or moral teachings as well as having more flexibility to design the curriculum. Homeschooling has risen *** lot in the black community too. Jumping from 3% of black families pre pandemic to 16% by the fall of 2020. Many state, the ability to teach cultural history as *** sticking point for making the jump to non-traditional education homeschooling does ring some alarm Bells for child welfare experts in some states like Idaho, Illinois and New Jersey, no notification is required to start homeschooling and in Texas and Oklahoma, the instructor doesn't require *** GED or to be *** certified educator, regardless the pandemic showed parents that home schooling was possible and in some cases easier and cheaper than transporting kids back and forth. Another 26% of the missing public school kids is attributed to *** decline in the school age population. *** decline in immigration. *** low birth rate and COVID-19 mortality are all factors. The other third of the missing public school kids, 230,000 students is still unexplained by data. It could suggest unregistered home schooling or skipping school, public school students have faced unprecedented challenges. Ultimately, their progress falter or math and reading scores hit the lowest levels in decades. We know that because I've been here, I have kids who test 23 levels below the grade level all the time. On average test scores for 13 year olds have fallen to some of the lowest in decades. Since 2020 reading has dipped four points and math has dipped nine. The average reading score of *** child today is about the same as it was in 1971. History and civics also shook *** tumble with only 13% of eighth graders testing as proficient in us history. This hit certain groups harder than others. Female students and black students saw their scores drop disproportionately. Absenteeism is also on the rise with the number of kids missing five or more days of school *** month, doubling. Schools recognize these setbacks and are employing *** range of tactics. Nationwide school systems have put almost 60% of their COVID relief funds into helping improve academics. In 2022 many school districts implemented academic interventions from tutoring to mental health support but who will implement these changes in the classroom. There are more than 322,000 public education job openings so far in 2023 the second highest average of all time just behind last year's record. It's *** combination of *** number of factors from *** growing list of responsibilities to *** lack of respect from the public and student behavioral problems, all coupled with low pay underfunding of public schools makes this challenge even more complicated. Simply put the kids aren't all right.
Decline in public school population, performance explained
Clarified dives into some concerning trends, setbacks happening in public schools.
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Updated: 12:40 PM CDT Sep 14, 2023
Back-to-school season has begun. With the start of a new school year, renewed attention is placed on schools and students, and since the pandemic, both have been struggling. The pandemic caused two years of heavy disruption in America’s school systems. Students had to quickly shift to remote learning and parents had to learn to teach, all the while dealing with the fear and anxiety of losing loved ones. The lack of social life and accountability also impacted the students. In 2023, most schools have returned to in-person learning, but the effects of the pandemic are becoming clear. Missing students According to a study from Stanford University and the Associated Press, 1.2 million school-aged children have gone missing from public schools since the pandemic. Around 14% of those kids made the switch to private school, disenrolling from public school systems. For many parents, the pandemic made them realize that their children would be better off in private schools, which can sometimes provide more specialized attention, religious teaching and mental health support. Another 26% of the absent schoolchildren switched to homeschooling. In fact, homeschooling has actually increased by 30% since 2019. In the Black community, the effect is even more pronounced. Pre-pandemic, only 3% of Black families homeschooled their children, but by the fall of 2020, that had risen to 16%. The pandemic forced parents into teaching positions, and for some, they want to keep it that way. Concerns about the safety of children in schools, the cost and time of transporting kids to school, as well as disputes over state curriculums have encouraged some parents to homeschool. However, the lack of regulation for homeschooling is a cause for concern amongst some child welfare experts. States like Illinois and New Jersey don’t require notification from parents to begin homeschooling, and other states, like Texas, don’t require the teacher to have a certification or even a GED.Population factors account for another 26% of the missing public school kids. A decline in the birth rate, a slowdown in immigration, and COVID-19-related deaths have all contributed to there being fewer school-aged children.The final third of the missing school children, around 230,000 students, couldn’t be explained by data, according to the study. This suggests that many students are skipping school, dropping out without telling anyone or unregistered homeschooling. Issues in the classroomFor the students who are in public school classrooms, their progress has faltered. Math and reading scores for 13-year-olds have hit their lowest in decades. Since 2020, reading scores have dropped four points and math scores have dipped nine points. History and civics were also heavily affected, with just 13% of eighth graders testing as proficient in U.S. history. This drop in scores has hit certain children harder than others, with the scores of female students and Black students dropping disproportionately. It’s getting harder to keep students in school, too, with the number of students missing five or more days a month doubling since the pandemic.School systems across the country are trying their best to address these issues. After the pandemic, many have implemented academic interventions to catch students up on missed learning. Tutoring and mental health support have also become staples of many classrooms. Nationwide, schools have put about 60% of their COVID-19 relief funds into improving academics. However, with the continued teacher shortage and underfunding of public school systems, the challenges are becoming more complicated.
Back-to-school season has begun. With the start of a new school year, renewed attention is placed on schools and students, and since the pandemic, both have been struggling.
The pandemic caused two years of heavy disruption in America’s school systems. Students had to quickly shift to remote learning and parents had to learn to teach, all the while dealing with the fear and anxiety of losing loved ones. The lack of social life and accountability also impacted the students. In 2023, most schools have returned to in-person learning, but the effects of the pandemic are becoming clear.
Missing students
According to a study from Stanford University and the Associated Press, 1.2 million school-aged children have gone missing from public schools since the pandemic.
Around 14% of those kids made the switch to private school, disenrolling from public school systems. For many parents, the pandemic made them realize that their children would be better off in private schools, which can sometimes provide more specialized attention, religious teaching and mental health support.
Another 26% of the absent schoolchildren switched to homeschooling. In fact, homeschooling has actually increased by 30% since 2019. In the Black community, the effect is even more pronounced. Pre-pandemic, only 3% of Black families homeschooled their children, but by the fall of 2020, that had risen to 16%. The pandemic forced parents into teaching positions, and for some, they want to keep it that way. Concerns about the safety of children in schools, the cost and time of transporting kids to school, as well as disputes over state curriculums have encouraged some parents to homeschool. However, the lack of regulation for homeschooling is a cause for concern amongst some child welfare experts. States like Illinois and New Jersey don’t require notification from parents to begin homeschooling, and other states, like Texas, don’t require the teacher to have a certification or even a GED.
Population factors account for another 26% of the missing public school kids. A decline in the birth rate, a slowdown in immigration, and COVID-19-related deaths have all contributed to there being fewer school-aged children.
The final third of the missing school children, around 230,000 students, couldn’t be explained by data, according to the study. This suggests that many students are skipping school, dropping out without telling anyone or unregistered homeschooling.
Issues in the classroom
For the students who are in public school classrooms, their progress has faltered. Math and reading scores for 13-year-olds have hit their lowest in decades. Since 2020, reading scores have dropped four points and math scores have dipped nine points. History and civics were also heavily affected, with just 13% of eighth graders testing as proficient in U.S. history.
This drop in scores has hit certain children harder than others, with the scores of female students and Black students dropping disproportionately.
It’s getting harder to keep students in school, too, with the number of students missing five or more days a month doubling since the pandemic.
School systems across the country are trying their best to address these issues. After the pandemic, many have implemented academic interventions to catch students up on missed learning. Tutoring and mental health support have also become staples of many classrooms. Nationwide, schools have put about 60% of their COVID-19 relief funds into improving academics. However, with the continued teacher shortage and underfunding of public school systems, the challenges are becoming more complicated.
