What's behind the decade-long 'learning recession' for American students

William Brangham:

As the school year is coming to a close, a new analysis shines yet another harsh spotlight on what's being called a learning recession for America's students.

And it's a problem that started long before the pandemic. That's according to the latest National Education Scorecard, which is an annual deep dive into data about kids in grades K-12. The findings of this report are sobering. Children had a steady decline in math and reading scores beginning all the way back to 2013, which happens to be when smartphones and social media really took off.

Compared to a decade ago, math scores today are down in 70 percent of school districts. Reading scores are down in 83 percent. Scores have climbed a bit since 2022, but nowhere close to making up all the lost ground. In fact, eighth grade reading scores are now at their lowest level since 1990.

I spoke recently with Thomas Kane. He's one of the authors of the scorecard and a professor at Harvard University. I started by asking him, what stood out most about this latest report?

Thomas Kane, Harvard University:

So the pandemic was just the mudslide that followed seven years of steady erosion in student achievement.

It was as if -- when Congress dismantled test-based accountability at the end of the No Child Left Behind Act, it was as if they turned off the smoke alarms just at the time when social media was setting fire to students' learning time outside of school.

William Brangham:

There are lots of known issues about K-12 education in America, but what problems are most pronounced, in your view, that contribute to this really grim report?

Thomas Kane:

So when I tell my kids that we used to be able to smoke on airplanes, they're incredulous.

(Laughter)

Thomas Kane:

And I think when they tell their kids 20 years from now that we allowed unfettered access to cell phones inside schools and outside of schools, I think their kids are going to have the same reaction.

William Brangham:

Really, it's that profound?

Thomas Kane:

But it's not just about cell phone bans.

So, actually, the early evidence on the effect of cell phone bans is that they are having modest effects on student achievement.

William Brangham:

Right.

Thomas Kane:

The -- what that implies is that the mechanism by which social media are slowing student achievement gains, it's not just through distracting kids in class. It's about how they're using time outside of school. It's about sleep disruption. It's about missing homework. It's about just doing less reading in general.

And the states that are turning things around are turning things around by focusing on early literacy and encouraging, requiring more reading inside a school to counteract the fact that kids are doing less reading outside of school.

Watch the full segment at pbs.org.