$190 billion in Fed Ed funds did what?

During the Covid debacle some $190 billion in relief funds rained down on public schools. See that the results are….then go get your favorite adult beverage and take a shot. This article can be found at: Edunomics

Take a moment and look at Washiongton State…spending up 2x and test scores in freefall. More money is NOT the answer.

A timely update from the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown’s McCourt School.

Today’s NAEP scores provide a reckoning of sorts. In contrast to each state’s annual assessments, the NAEP enables a comparison of student learning across states and over time.

These last two years in public education have been unlike any before. Students were emerging from deep pandemic-era learning losses just as $190B in relief funds began to rain down on schools.

With all that money flowing, did scores improve?

Now for the truth bomb: In states like KY, LA, MS, TN, and WV that answer is yes. Students in these states saw real (even if modest) score gains alongside the massive federal investments in their schools. In LA and MS, gains in 4th grade reading were enough to essentially erase COVID learning gaps. These states show how money can matter for students.

In contrast, AZ, CA, FL, MA, OR, and WA all continued to lose ground in both the key metrics of 4th grade reading and 8th grade math, even as investments skyrocketed.

Declines in 8th grade math are especially concerning, as those scores predict both lifetime earnings and a state’s future economic growth. In states like DE, these scores are now so far below their pre-pandemic levels that without accelerated recovery, today’s students have little chance of ever getting back on track.

The 10-year trends for each state suggest a reset is needed in many to ensure that investments are delivering more for students.

Take WA state, where per-pupil spending has essentially doubled in the last decade (far outpacing inflation); meanwhile 8th grade math scores are in free fall.

Explore each state’s 10-year trend here.

Today’s NAEP reminds us again that states matter when it comes to ensuring schooling investments deliver academic value for students.

Looking ahead, school systems are unlikely to see the kind of funding increases of the last few years. That means the task of recovery just got harder. Accelerating learning will require using money differently. Our question for state leaders: are you up for the challenge?

An obvious place to start: State leaders can take a hard look at their own spending and outcomes. Systems need more regular (even quarterly) data to track progress alongside investments, and they need to be willing to make course corrections when students aren’t benefiting. That may mean shifting away from long-running commitments and staying laser-focused on students even when money is tight.

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