The past two years have been defined by global events that have caused social, economic, political, and cultural change. Russia’s war on Ukraine, inflation, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and rebuilding post-pandemic are only samples of the plethora of events that have characterised the period. With the United States midterm elections having occurred this past week, the problems that American voters deem most pertinent are becoming evident. Issues at the top of the list for Republican voters were the economy, violent crime, foreign policy, and immigration. For democratic voters, the future of democracy, health care, election and voting policies, abortion, and Supreme Court appointments top the list. Interestingly, the issue of education was not represented by either party’s candidates– likely because candidates did not deem this issue relevant enough to swing voters in an extremely close election.
However, analysis of the state of education in the United States following the pandemic might highlight a different narrative: that politicians should prioritise education. In middle schools, the U.S. is experiencing troubling setbacks in both math and reading. Results from a national exam released at the beginning of October found that math scores for eighth graders fell in nearly every state. Only 26 percent of eighth graders were proficient in math, compared to 34 percent in 2019, the last year the test was run. In regards to reading, scores dropped in more than half the states, a trend that existed before the pandemic but has also since been exacerbated. Additionally, no states showed statistically significant improvements in reading, and only 1 in 3 students met proficiency standards in the subject. The failure to meet a high metric in this standard means that students face significant barriers to future success.
The trend persisted in elementary schools, where fourth graders performed worse in math and reading than in previous years. Unfortunately, this trend was heightened for marginalised students, where Black and Hispanic students experienced sharper declines than their white and Asian peers. A possible explanation for this trend is that Hispanic and Black students are more likely to attend schools affected by poverty. Most schools in low-income neighbourhoods stayed remote longer than wealthier schools during the pandemic, which only furthered the preexisting structural divides.
For students planning to apply to college, ACT and SAT scores also highlighted a significant narrative. In 2022, ACT college admission test scores fell to a three-decade low. However, scores had dropped for two years before the pandemic, although remote classes contributed to the ongoing learning loss. The average ACT score in 2022 was 19.8 out of 36, down from 20.3 in 2021 and 20.8 in 2018. Of course, the ACT, like many other standardised tests, is not perfect. Its high cost and the commercialization of test-prep tutors have caused some students to request its abolition in the application process. So, a potential positive impact of the pandemic is that hundreds of colleges admitted freshmen classes without requiring standardised test scores, potentially opening admissions to lower-income students. However, the most crucial metric for post-secondary acceptance, a high school diploma, provides another challenge. High school graduation rates fell for the class of 2021 in many states, and undergraduate enrollment has declined 4.2 percent since 2020.
Nevertheless, trends of being ‘behind’ in education have unsurprisingly been found in U.S. university and college settings. Interviews across the country found that students had disjointed high school experiences that trailed them in their first college years. Professors also mentioned students’ grades and the standards they expect from them. In post-secondary math departments across the country, professors and administrators report that more students require support. Significantly, this trend disproportionately affects low-income students and students of colour.
Yet ‘elite’ institutions have had no problem drafting a class of exceptional students. A recent Harvard tweet displays the following statistics:
Fact check: In a recent admissions cycle there were:
2,000 available slots at Harvard College
8,000 U.S. applicants with perfect GPAs
4,000+ applicants ranked 1st in their high school classes
18,000+ scored 700+ on SAT reading/writing
20,000+ scored 700+ on SAT math— Harvard University (@Harvard) October 31, 2022
There is ample evidence that despite falling national test scores, ACT scores, and reports of students struggling in class, elite-performing students still exist in abundance. The gap between high-performing students and students that require more support has been exacerbated by pandemic conditions– yet another metric in which inequality has grown. Often, we see education as a metric to fight inequality and contribute to social mobility. However, if education inequality persists, how can we hope to alleviate disparities in other spheres?
While the statistics released over the past month might have provided more concrete evidence of post-pandemic education performance, there was a general discourse throughout the pandemic that school conditions were deteriorating. Experts believe it could take billions of dollars and several years for students to recover appropriately. The pandemic highlighted the deep and troubling inequalities that dominate American education. Yet neither party has made education a top priority in the midterm elections. Likely, the elements on the top of the list matter more to American voters given the current political climate, and rationally so, seeing as a significant number of those affected by poor education standards are not eligible to vote.
However, this does not negate the importance of this issue and instead highlights a significant barrier facing the maintenance of democratic principles in the United States. If politicians look only to campaign on points that they believe will garner votes rather than issues that will improve the United States at the foundational level, they are not in faithful service to their country. Despite this, hopefully, democrats and republicans can cross the partisan line to make a choice that will have only positive impacts: invest in and support the education of young Americans.
Claudia Velimirovic is in her fourth and final year at McGill University pursuing a major in honours International Development and a minor in Social Entrepreneurship. This is her third year writing for Catalyst and she is particularly interested in politics, gender inequality, and women’s health.