A national report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks Connecticut third in the nation for education and #8 in child well-being. Yet, students in the state continue to struggle with learning loss.
A statement from Connecticut Voices for Children on the report showed that 22% of all students were chronically absent — more than double the rates of absenteeism before the pre-pandemic rates.
The report, which uses data from 2022, found that both math and reading proficiency have also decreased, specifically in fourth-graders for reading, and eighth-graders for math. It also linked to a study that tallied the long-term economic cost of learning loss should the country’s workforce become less skilled as a result of learning challenges.
“Up to 31 trillion dollars in U.S. economic activity hinges on helping children complete learning that was delayed by the pandemic,” said Emily Byrne, executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children. That number is an estimate of losses that would aggregate over the rest of the century. “So, the stakes are high.”
Connecticut did receive some promising marks as well; the state ranked third in the nation for education and first for preschool attendance. Byrne said the numbers are cause to celebrate, but combatting learning loss requires a holistic solution that includes ensuring the student’s welfare outside of school as well.
“This idea of ensuring that family economic security is prioritized, and thought in tandem with academic achievement, is super important,” she said.
“Connecticut ranks 40th in the state of housing cost burden. While it's trending in a good direction, being ranked in the worst quartile across the country is not a good thing. Those are the indicators that we hope the state also pays attention to, just like they pay attention to academic achievement.”
The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a supporter of NPR.
