WASHINGTON (TND) — Education was one of the topics not discussed during last week's presidential debate, even though it was one of the biggest concerns for Americans.
The coronavirus pandemic has posed some serious challenges to education and students across the country are still recovering from learning loss.
On average, grade school students need at least four additional months of schooling to catch up in math and reading, according to a report from the Northwest Evaluation Association. The gap between pre-COVID and post-COVID test score averages has grown across nearly all grades, by an average of 36% in reading and 18% in math.
Education in the US as a whole began to change before the pandemic, with enrollment in colleges and universities peaking in 2010 and declining ever since. Plus, more than 25% of students in K-12 schools are now chronically absent — meaning they have lost at least 10% of the 2021-22 school year
But as far as test scores go, the National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that students had been doing better in math and reading since the 1970s — that is, until the pandemic hit in 2022, which led to a 5 to 7 point drop, the largest drop in test scores since 1990.
Former President Donald Trump has said he wants to abolish the Department of Education.
The Department of Education has a budget of $224 billion, which is spent on public school grants, student loans and Pell grants for low-income students. If the department is eliminated, the funding could be eliminated along with it or be sent through another agency. Trump says states need to run the education system.
This discussion is taking place at a time when parents are turning to alternative options of education.
A Pew Research Center analysis found that traditional public school enrollment has declined by about 5% over the past decade. Charter schools are growing in popularity and private schools have maintained a steady share of 10% of school enrollment. In addition, more parents are homeschooling. The National Home Education Research Institute shows 2.5 million homeschool students in spring 2019. This increases to 3.1 million for the 2021-2022 school year.
The tutoring industry is expected to grow at a rate of 6.8% annually from 2019 to 2027. The test preparation and tutoring industries are also growing.