U.S. Department of Education Releases Data Confirming COVID-19’s Impact on Education in America and Illustrating the Importance of Apprenticeship Readiness Training
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education released data confirming the negative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on education in America. The data reveals that American middle school students’ test scores in math and reading plummeted to the lowest levels in 50 years. Scores declined among all racial and ethnic groups, among both male and female students, and across urban, suburban, and rural areas.
Education experts say these historic drops need to be addressed in a holistic way to ensure that students are prepared to pursue their educational, career, and life goals. The data also highlights the likely need for continued investment in apprenticeship readiness or pre-apprenticeship training to ensure young people have the basic math and other competencies necessary to succeed in a registered apprenticeship program.