The Worst Education Crisis Is Happening Now
Children are currently receiving the lowest test scores in school, and lack basic math and reading skills.
Since the pandemic, it has taken a long time for specific industries to recover from the effects of several lockdowns. One sector that the pandemic is still affecting is education and the won’t education crisis is happening now. Over the two years, COVID-19 was rampant globally; before the vaccines kicked in, children had spent long periods away from a school setting, and the effects are still being felt.
Many educational experts fear that Americans are in the midst of an education crisis, as reading skills have dropped to its lowest point in over three decades. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our children is far worse than anyone expected.
A nationwide test was given to both 4th and 8th graders. While the reading result was disappointing, the math results were no better. Forty percent of eighth graders did not grasp basic mathematical concepts. These types of results were not just in poorer, urban areas that you would expect lower results; it was across America in various locations.
Along with the pandemic, children are also being faced with several school shootings being widely broadcast. This has resulted in an education crisis with poor test results and behavioral problems in many students. In some homes, remote teaching and lack of technology are being blamed for children falling behind. Add the mass hysteria the pandemic caused, and it does not paint the picture of an ideal learning environment.
It seems as well as an education crisis in full swing, a higher number of students have been referred to school psychologists as children’s mental health spirals. Before the pandemic, social media platforms were already causing issues with children’s mental health, but the pandemic escalated it. If kids are struggling with mental health issues, they will find it harder and harder to learn. It seems like a lot of kids are struggling at the moment.
During the pandemic, children spent nearly twenty minutes less every day on physical activity. Many children did not go outside at all, let alone exercise. Everyone knows it is widely documented how good exercise is for everyone’s mental health and also their ability to learn. Permanently removing physical activity from their life is something that could be detrimental to them in the future.
But it is not too late to reverse this education crisis for our children. Experts say that extra tutoring, extending the school day, more physical activities, and shortening school holidays will help to bring children’s test scores back up to standard.
By putting in the time and effort with our children now, we could reap the benefits of having a more attentive and emotionally aware generation in the future that is a lot more understanding and realize the importance of human connection. If we can manage to repair the damage caused by the pandemic, the next generation may be a better caliber of people than the previous generation.
The pandemic has changed many things for many people, and the world will not feel the full extent of the damage it has caused for years to come, but anything that becomes evident, like an education crisis, can be reversed if taken seriously.
