The Long Covid of Education

As the midterm elections draw near, inflation, crime and reproductive rights dominate the debates and airwaves.?But a much deeper crisis is looming with minimal attention from local and national leaders: the national learning crisis.

During the pandemic, an already under resourced school system was devastated by classroom closures and remote learning, which were necessary to protect public health. But today, an unaddressed “social long Covid” continues to affect learners and is chronically unraveling the country’s economic and social development prospects.

Data released last week should be a wakeup call for Washington. ?Reading scores have dropped to their 1992 levels and math scores have had their largest decrease ever: only 26% of eighth graders in the U.S. are proficient in math.?Less than one-third of eighth graders are proficient in reading, leaving behind two-thirds of our nation’s youth. ?This is further compounded by data showing a decade of progress made on public preschool education was wiped out during the pandemic.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. ?Even greater social learning losses are yet to be accounted for, including development of social skills, ranging from teamwork and critical thinking to appreciation for diversity and entrepreneurship, as well as care for children with special learning needs at crucial stages of their growth.

Unfortunately, the U.S. is not alone.?In low- and middle-income countries, 70% of children are unable to read a simple written text, up from 57% before the pandemic. ?The erosion of learning is not without consequences. Globally, losses in learning due to Covid are now estimated to inflict a $21 trillion loss in future earnings for today’s generation.

Quality education yields significant social and economic benefits for society, addressing many of the key issues top of the agenda.

• If we care about reducing crime, we should invest in education.?High-quality, intensive early childhood programs are associated with crime-reducing impacts later in life and are value for money with an estimated 5.8% annual return on investment. ?
• If we care about economic growth, we should invest in education.?Completing high school and higher levels of education are associated with higher incomes and lower unemployment rates .?
• And if we believe in children’s health and opportunity, we should invest in education. Some global studies show a child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to live past the age of five and twice as likely to attend school.

Instead of focusing on achieving greater prosperity through a renewed focus on public education, mainstream education conversations have focused on issues of division.?When less than a third of our children are proficient at reading, a discussion about which books to ban pales in relevance. And when only a quarter of our children are proficient in math, debating about who is allowed to play on which sports team seems marginal. We’re missing the bigger point of collective unity and the fact that there is much more that unites us in our aims to support our children and youth.

The good news is we know what it takes to focus on improving education for today’s youth.?

• First, by achieving universal quality preschool education, doubling-down on catch-up accelerated learning programs for those who have fallen behind, and programs targeted for special needs learners can help ensure every child has the best start in life.
• Second, we need to invest in safe learning environments, direct more resources to those most in need, increase support and professional development for teachers, and provide mental health and wraparound social services for students.
• And third, we need to ensure every young person is ready for the future by equipping them with foundational and life skills which prepare them to participate in society and secure a job.

If we can focus on areas of common interest and get these basics of education right, we can turn our education system around. But if we lose focus and education remains low on the political agenda, we will live with the impacts and consequences for generations to come.

A national prioritization of education requires the same unity and “all-in” American spirit that put the first person on the moon. ?But unlike Apollo 11, working together to support and improve public education isn’t rocket science.