The United States has been grappling with a decline in reading and math scores, a trend that predates the COVID-19 pandemic and has been attributed to a variety of factors, including a lack of accountability in public schools and an increasingly screen-based childhood.
According to The Epoch Times, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) revealed that in 2024, 60% of fourth-grade students and 72% of eighth graders scored below their respective grade levels in math. Similarly, 69% of fourth graders and 70% of eighth graders scored below grade level in reading the previous year.
Martin West, vice chair of the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees NAEP, noted that student skills have been deteriorating for over a decade. He attributed this decline to a relaxation in public school accountability and the advent of a new era of "screen-based childhood," where students spend more time on smartphones and social media than on schoolwork. "Sobering would be a good word for it," West remarked during a February panel discussion with the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The United States' performance in education, when compared to other developed nations, reveals significant gaps. American eighth graders, on average, scored over 120 points below their peers in Singapore and Taiwan. David Steiner, director of the Institute for Education Policy at Johns Hopkins University, noted that while U.S. results in the PISA global assessments were respectable, they were far from ideal. He pointed out that U.S. standardized tests are more challenging for children raised on social media as they are less visual and require longer reading passages.
In an effort to improve classroom performance and global rankings, President Donald Trump initiated reforms that included shrinking the Department of Education, streamlining its funding with state block grants, outlawing curricula based on progressive ideologies, and promoting universal school choice. Despite these efforts and leading the world in education spending, the United States continues to grapple with poor test results.
The administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama attempted to incentivize improved test scores through the No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top programs. However, these initiatives were met with resistance from school communities who complained about increased pressure. Under President Joe Biden, $190 billion in post-COVID-19 emergency funding was quickly allocated to help schools reopen safely and accelerate learning recovery. However, many districts used their grants for purposes unrelated to academics, such as athletic facilities and capital projects, as scores continued to drop, according to the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University.
The issue of accountability in education has been a contentious one. Most states have decoupled or are in the process of decoupling teacher evaluation and tenure decisions from students scores on standardized tests, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality. Instead, teacher unions and district leaders negotiate alternative metrics, such as student grades and teacher observations. This shift away from standardized tests as assessment tools indicates that teacher unions, not school boards or state education leaders, are in control of a top-down system, according to Catrin Wigfall, a former charter school teacher in Arizona and now an education policy fellow at the Minnesota-based Center for the American Experiment.
The decline in math and reading scores has been pervasive since 2013, following a period of significant gains in both subjects across all grade levels from 1994 through 2010. "It was driven by gains for the low-achieving students, but still not up to the expectations of No Child Left Behind," West said. He added that there was bipartisan support for standard-based reform and accountability measures, but we've seen a softening of accountability.
Despite these challenges, the United States has seen some positive trends. Its high school graduation rate was 87 percent, the highest in six years, and its chronic absenteeism rate has declined since 2021. However, most states do not require diploma candidates to pass a final high school assessment, which is more common in other countries. Steiner, during a Feb. 7 panel discussion, warned against the dangers of not measuring student performance. "If we stop measuring, the idea seems to be that the kids will stop doing poorly," he said. "I dont know where this mania for retreat from using a thermometer comes from. It strikes me as rather dangerous."
The quality of educators in the classroom has also been a concern. In Texas, a record 34 percent of new teachers entered the classroom without certification last year, and turnover continues to be a problem, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath noted that most teachers hired within the past three years are uncertified, and about 30,000 of those hired annually are new to the profession. Many of them dont last a year, and more experienced teachers get frustrated and quit as well, hurting students in the process.
The United States also faces challenges in its approach to math instruction. Students in some Asian and European countries outperform U.S. students because they are drilled harder and at a younger age, especially in math, according to Suzy Koontz, founding board member of the National Math Foundation. In the United States, this practice, known as rote learning, is often discouraged other than for learning the alphabet because students become bored and disengaged.
The influence of progressive ideologies on curricula has also been a point of contention. Wigfall noted that public schools in other nations are free from curricula based on progressive ideologies that divide communities or distract from learning, such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), critical race theory (CRT), and social-emotional learning (SEL). She argued that these ideologies place additional burdens on teachers and detract from the core academic mission of schools.
The role of technology in education is another area of debate. While some argue that screen-based learning and artificial intelligence can improve classroom performance, others caution against overreliance on these tools. Carol Jago, associate director of the California Reading and Literacy Project at the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles, noted that students might prefer to read three sentences rather than three pages on a screen. "And the student will tell you, Im working smarter, not harder. But working harder is part of what brings growth," she said.
As the United States grapples with these challenges, the need for a robust and effective education system that prepares students for the future remains paramount. The path forward will require a careful balance of accountability, innovation, and a commitment to high standards for both students and educators.
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