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States face continued special education staffing shortages and varied turnover patterns that require tailored policy responses.
The federal government is reallocating key education programs to other agencies as part of broader efforts to dismantle the Department of Education.
Students of color are less likely to be identified with dyslexia, contributing to disparities in reading support and outcomes.
Research and Practice
The 74: The Looming $90 Trillion Cost of Learning Loss — and the Policy Solutions to Address It
New research from the Hoover Institution at Stanford University shows that student learning loss before and after the pandemic had a significant impact on the economy. According to results from the Nation’s Report Card, public school students have the lowest reading scores in decades, and math scores are still below pre-pandemic levels. Learning loss over the past decade has cost the United States $90 trillion in future growth. If students remained at 2013 reading and math levels, the country would have a 6% higher GDP every year. Additionally, restoring achievement to 2013 levels would increase an average student’s lifetime earnings by 8%. While large-scale interventions are hard to implement to improve academic scores, some states have made progress to improve students’ math and reading scores by focusing on measuring proficiency and growth.
Brookings: States Face Different Special Education Staffing Challenges that Require Targeted Responses
Almost all states and half of school districts reported special education teacher shortages in the 2023-2024 school year. Government officials have made strides to develop policies to increase special educator recruitment and retention, such as salary increases, improvements in working conditions, and apprenticeship programs. To measure the stability of the special education teacher workforce, data from 2017-2018 were analyzed from seven states. For the majority of states analyzed, attrition rates increased in the two years following the pandemic. Staff turnover was measured in three ways: leaving the workforce, moving from special education to general education, or moving from one special education position to another at a different school. In Indiana, Massachusetts, and Texas, staff were more likely to move from a special education teacher to a general educator. Turnover rates also differed depending on school poverty level and whether the school was in a rural or urban setting.
JAMA Network Open: Postpandemic After-School Activities Among Youths in Australia
The present study measures children’s after-school activities before and after the pandemic. Over 14,000 Australian participants entering year six in 2019 completed surveys on their after-school activity frequency, with follow-up responses collected in 2022. The number of students using social media daily increased, from 26% in 2019 to 85.4% in 2022. The number of youth who participated in music, art, reading for fun, hanging out with friends, tutoring, and sports declined during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The time spent watching television, doing chores, and playing electronic games increased. Youth participation in arts and reading for fun had the largest decline among all activities surveyed. These associations persisted three years after the onset of the pandemic. Future research is needed to examine the academic and social-emotional impacts of this decline and the effect of new policies on activity participation.
Policy
The New York Times: Trump Administration to Announce Steps to Dismantle Education Department
The U.S. Department of Education is shifting the management of six programs to other federal departments. Academic support for elementary and high school students, as well as resources for college, will now be primarily overseen by the Labor Department. The Education Department will also no longer oversee a child care grant program for college students, international education grants, and services for indigenous students. These changes are a step in the federal government’s goal to close the agency, as well as to ensure that more control and funding reach the states. Republicans and Democrats have expressed concerns over the legality of the decision and its impact on students. The Trump administration referenced the recent government shutdown to indicate that even without Education Department staff, schools remained open and students continued to learn.
See also: Education Department to Offload Grant Programs as Trump Works to Close It
The 74: The Shutdown Is Over, But Thousands of Kids Are Still Locked Out of Head Start
Federal funding to resume Head Start programs across 16 states and Puerto Rico will likely take two weeks to reach program headquarters. President Trump signed a bill to fund Head Start through January 30 and to use money to backpay expenses from the last month. 9,000 children continue to be impacted by the government shutdown’s closure of the early care and education program for low-income families. Once centers are ready to open, they will need to overcome logistical challenges, such as communicating with families and employees who may have found other child care or employment during the shutdown. Funding through January will remain at the same amount as the end of 2024, despite rising costs to run the program. In recent years, the program has received a two to three percentage point increase to cover rising costs. For 2026, the proposed Senate bill suggests that the rate will increase by 0.6%.
Around the Nation
The 74: For Decades, Students of Color Denied Dyslexia Diagnosis and Intervention
Research has shown that students of color have a lower likelihood of being diagnosed with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia. One study found that Black eighth graders were 55% less likely to be identified with a learning disability compared to their white peers. With children of color receiving fewer diagnoses and educational interventions, they are more likely to have lower reading scores. Some may also face disciplinary action for behaviors tied to unremediated learning disabilities. While all 50 states have legislation surrounding dyslexia and 41 states have universal screenings, more effort is needed to ensure accurate diagnoses and support for students of color. Parents of color express concern that school officials often assume that students’ academic difficulties are due to problems at home, rather than an underlying learning disability. The importance of teacher training and experience, school resources, and partnership between parents and school personnel are key to identifying and addressing students’ learning disabilities, like dyslexia.
MassLive: Springfield’s Breakfast in the Classroom Seen as a Model to Be Replicated
Since 2012, public schools in Springfield, Massachusetts, have run a free Breakfast in the Classroom program. The city receives $29 million to feed the district’s 27,000 students. The meals are mostly made fresh and with healthy ingredients, including whole grains, fruit, and milk. At the Rebecca Johnson School, students are happy to talk to their peers or read books while eating breakfast. Ninety-three percent of the elementary school’s students are from low-income families, and the program was especially beneficial when SNAP benefits were paused during the government shutdown. The school also provides dinner to children who stay late for sports, tutoring, and clubs. One teacher shares that she has the opportunity to check in with her students during breakfast to see how they are doing, and by providing them with enough to eat, the school helps to ensure that they will be ready to learn in class.
