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New research tracks how COVID-19 influenced children’s executive functions.
The U.S. Department of Education will shift student loan duties over to the Treasury Department.
Children who have excessive screen time at a young age are at risk of worse mental and physical health, delayed social-emotional skills, and decreased attention spans.
Research and Practice
The 74: Chronic Absenteeism Trends in 27 States by Income, English Learner Status & Race
A new analysis from The 74 and FutureEd found that certain demographic groups have higher chronic absenteeism rates (i.e., students who missed at least 10% of the school year) since the pandemic. Chronic absenteeism is linked to decreased academic achievement, school engagement, and other negative long-term outcomes. The researcher used data from 26 states and the District of Columbia to analyze data between the 2018-19 and 2024-25 school years. In the last four years, attendance gaps between low-income students and their higher-income peers appeared in 23 of the 27 states. On average, low-income students’ chronic absentee rates in the 2024-25 school year were nine percentage points higher than in 2018-19. English language learner absenteeism rates increased by 11 points since 2018-19, though two states saw English language learners with better attendance compared to their native English-speaking peers. Black and Hispanic students also experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to their white peers, though targeted efforts to improve these students’ attendance have narrowed the gap in attendance rates.
Child Development: Tracking the Trajectory of Executive Function from 2.5 to 6.5 Years of Age and the Impact of COVID-19
Research published in Child Development measured how COVID-19 influenced children’s executive function. High executive function, cognitive controls that include memory and cognitive flexibility, are associated with several long-term outcomes, such as increased academic achievement, improved life satisfaction, and better physical and mental health in adulthood. In this study, the researchers examined children’s executive function between the ages of 2.5 and 6.5, with some participants tested before the pandemic. The young children completed an executive function task, which required participants to sort cards depending on size, shape, or color, and families filled out a survey on their experiences during the pandemic. Results suggest that children’s executive function was impacted by the pandemic, with first graders having smaller improvements in their executive function over time compared to other participants as they aged. These findings highlight the pandemic’s disruption of children’s development, which can lead to other negative outcomes.
Policy
K-12 Dive: Education Department to Shift Student Loan Duties to Treasury
The U.S. Department of Education will shift responsibility for the federal government’s student loan portfolio to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, with implications for students’ decisions to enroll in higher education. This shift follows nine other agreements that transferred educational responsibilities to other agencies. The Treasury Department will now provide operational responsibility for collecting defaulted loans affecting 9 million borrowers. Later, the department will assume responsibilities for the rest of the student loan portfolio and administer the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA determines students’ eligibility for federal financial aid and assists colleges in creating financial aid packages, which guide student decisions on whether and where to enroll. This year, 1.6 million students completed an application. Educators and policymakers against these changes to the Education Department assert that moving school loans and the FAFSA will likely lead to errors that will have a significant impact on families. However, advocates of the move believe that the decision will simplify the aid process, providing more support for families.
WSBT: Operation Education: New School Grading System “An Improvement” for Indiana
The Indiana State Board of Education unanimously approved its K-12 Accountability Model, which aims to be a fairer process to evaluate school performance. Indiana schools have not received a grade since 2018, due to changes in state testing and criticism from educators that the scores disproportionately impacted school districts with more low-income and minority students. With the new framework, schools will receive letter grades based on points that measure the success and growth of students. Evaluation factors include student success indicators: test scores, attendance, college credits, and technical education coursework. School leaders have praised the new model for being more student-centered, which will prepare students for academic and professional pursuits after graduating high school. The South Bend Community School Corporation is preparing for these changes, with the executive director of curriculum and instruction sharing that the letter grades will be more reflective of the “learning needs and interests of our students.” The law will soon be signed by Governor Mike Braun.
Around the Nation
The Hechinger Report: iPads in Kindergarten, YouTube Videos at Snack Time: Parents Are Pushing Back on Screens in the Early Grades
Research has found that children who have excessive screen time at a young age are at risk of worse mental and physical health, delayed social-emotional skills, and decreased attention spans. Meanwhile, elementary schools have been more likely to use technology in recent years, with 81% of elementary school teachers reporting that students receive devices by kindergarten. Parents are now advocating for reduced screen time in their children’s classrooms. Complaints of unnecessary technology are often not focused solely on academics, but rather, on using devices for a read-aloud, “brain breaks,” or during recess or lunch time. A third-grade teacher and parent in New York started initiatives that educate families and school districts to cut down on technology usage. She advocates for change because, “When I first started teaching 20 years ago, kids wanted to be veterinarians because they loved animals… Then it changed. Now, the most common answer is, ‘I want to be a YouTuber or influencer,’ and they no longer tell me why.”
The Times: American Schools Are Turning to Four-Day Weeks. Are They Happy?
Over 2,100 public schools in 26 states use a four-day-a-week schedule, mostly to incentivize teachers, as it is projected that teacher shortages will increase to 200,000 spots during the school year. The schools that employ this model are mostly in rural, western states. In New Bloomfield, Missouri, the district often lost teachers who left to teach at nearby Jefferson City with higher pay. The board voted on the four-day model in the 2020-21 school year. The superintendent believes that the change had a significant impact on recruitment, with many teachers citing the new schedule as a benefit when applying. Other schools observe students’ productivity increasing and behavior improving as they get to learn different trades, work on their college applications, or get extra academic support on the “off” day. Research findings on the benefits of four-day school weeks are inconsistent; one study focusing on Missouri schools found no difference between five or four school days on student attendance or satisfaction. Another study found that students’ math achievement declined on a four-day schedule, especially for boys and low-income students.
The 74: This Texas Elementary Is Achieving High Reading Scores a Million Words at a Time
Windsor Park Elementary School in Corpus Christi, Texas, hosts a Millionaires Club for students who have read at least 1 million words this school year. The program, created and managed by the school librarian, was established three years ago to motivate more students to read. Last year, students collectively read over 400 million words. Their goal is to beat it this year, with students having read over 315 million words by the end of February. Windsor Park is a magnet school for gifted and talented children and is the district’s only International Baccalaureate elementary school. The school is on The 74’s Bright Spots list, which highlights schools that have higher third-grade literacy scores compared to what was expected, based on the school’s poverty rates. The school’s reading proficiency rate was up to 99% last year. The Millionaires Club will expand to other schools in the 33,000-student district in the next year.
See also: Southern States Boost Early Reading, But Gains Stall in Middle School
