Results of the “Nation’s Report Card.”
QUICK FACTS:
- According to a recent report by the U.S. Education Department, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) changes in recent months have helped California children outperform kids in other states.
- After returning to in-person classroom time at the LAUSD, children are slowly recovering from the learning loss experienced due to the pandemic.
- California kids saw the same downward trend in math scores that have been seen nationwide, and there was no significant change in reading scores, according to the report.
- The LAUSD is the state’s largest school district and the report noted that it demonstrated an overall greater improvement than other participating schools between 2019 and 2022.
DETAILS OF THE DOWNTURN:
- According to the “Nation’s Report Card,” published on October 23 by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, math and reading average scores for eighth and fourth students nationwide have decreased compared to pre-pandemic years.
- “The results … underscore the importance of instruction and the role of schools in both students’ academic growth and their overall wellbeing,” National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy Carr said in a statement. “It’s clear we all need to come together—policymakers and community leaders at every level—as partners in helping our educators, children, and families succeed.”
- LA Unified Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the improvement was likely due to his 2022–26 Strategic Plan which included summer school, optional accelerated learning days, expanded tutoring services to assist students during and after school, as well as additional counselors and mental health workers.
- “The Los Angeles Unified community has worked tirelessly over the past few years and endured incredible challenges throughout the pandemic, so this news is truly a bright spot after a period of darkness,” Carvalho said in the statement. “The strategies we have implemented to address learning loss and achievement gaps are working.”
BACKGROUND:
- A California school recently came under fire after they banned the “Blue Lives Matter” flag just three years after police rescued students from a shooter, as American Faith previously reported.
- “It wasn’t even a member of our Saugus community that complained originally,” parent Lexi Hawk said. “So I’m not exactly sure how the district came up with the decision without talking to parents.”
- William S. Hart Union High School District Superintendent Mike Kuhlman wrote a letter to parents, claiming that the flag honoring law enforcement could be seen as “uncomfortable and unwelcome” to some.
