A recent analysis revealed that nearly 60 schools in the state of Illinois had no students proficient in reading or math in 2022.
QUICK FACTS:
- According to an analysis of state data, 60 schools across democrat-run Illinois have students struggling to perform basic academic skills.
- Eighteen of the schools located in Chicago had zero students demonstrating proficiency in math or reading during the 2022 school year.
- The drop has led even Democrats in the state to question the consequences school closures had on young children.
- “I believe this is something that is a byproduct of some of our policies that we were taking during COVID,” Illinois state Senator Willie Preston said Monday. “This is a very serious issue and one that as a father and a lawmaker, I’m going to be addressing feverishly.”
REP. MIKE GALLAGHER (R-WI) ON THE IMPACT OF SCHOOL SHUTDOWNS:
“The simple fact is that school shutdowns are much more harmful to children than COVID-19 is, and by once again closing down schools, we’re blatantly ignoring this reality,” Gallagher said in January 2022.
BACKGROUND:
- In September 2022, a report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a program of the US Department of Education, revealed the dangerous effects COVID lockdowns had on students.
- According to the NAEP, since the 2020 school shutdowns, the average nine-year-old suffered a steady decline in reading skills and math skills, the largest decline since 1990.
- Around the time same, the Oregon Department of Education reported public school enrollment dropped from 582,661 in 2019-2020 to 550,020 in 2022.
- In Washington state, homeschooling groups are seeing record growth as public schools project years of decline.
- Statewide, the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction reported the number of homeschooling students jumped from 20,844 children in October 2019 to 32,056 in October 2021.
- Yvonne Bunn, director of homeschool support and government affairs with Home Educators Association of Virginia, said the group had to increase their staff in order to answer the spike in questions from parents over the past few years.
- “In Virginia alone, we have seen over a 48 percent increase in homeschoolers for the last school year. We went from 44,000 to 65,000 homeschoolers,” she said. “Lots of parents have done this and say their child has done so much better or they’re not being bullied.”
- Bunn said in August 2021 that despite schools moving towards reopening classrooms, parents were continuing to teach their children at home.
- “I do think a lot of parents are going to continue homeschool. They’re not happy with what’s going on,” she said. “Parents are wanting to move in the direction of doing something else … even the parents who work. We’ve been amazed by the number who want to continue to work from home so they can continue to teach their children.”
