In the News
A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, covered by Fortune, found that 70% of fourth-graders cannot read proficiently and 73% of eighth-graders fail math. That is worse than in 2019. The report largely blames the pandemic, but Harvard researchers were cited in the same piece saying this “learning recession” started a decade earlier.
Here’s My Take
The Harvard researchers are correct. As a principal, I spent most of my time working with students who did not fit the traditional system. Some were behind, others were ahead, and the system could not accommodate either one. That was true before COVID, and the pandemic only made it worse. Public schools have tried more funding, new curriculum, and more specialists, yet achievement continues to drop.
Families need new solutions. School choice policies, like Utah Fits All, give parents the resources to find something different right now. Former school teachers are leaving the traditional classroom to start small schools that eliminate bureaucracy. That means a teacher can make a decision for a student right away, without waiting for someone else to sign off. Wilderland Academy, one of these small schools in Utah, reports students growing academically two times faster than other students nationally in both reading and math.
But legislators can do more.
Closing
Utah Fits All has 7,500 more students who want the scholarship than can be accommodated by current funding levels. The state legislature should fund every student who wants this opportunity. It gives parents the chance to find what works for their child today.
