U.S. Education Report Highlights Decline in Student Performance Over the Last Decade
A recent report titled the Education Scorecard, developed by researchers from Harvard University, Stanford University, and Dartmouth College, indicates a decline in student performance in U.S. schools over the past decade. The analysis focused on reading and math scores of students in grades 3 through 8 across more than 100 school districts from 2009 to 2025. The report highlights that the decline in reading scores began around 2013, with a significant drop noted even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighth-grade reading scores in 2025 were comparable to those in 1990. The report attributes this decline to several factors, including the cessation of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2015, the rise of social media, and a reduction in test-based accountability. Despite these challenges, some schools have reported improvements by adopting the 'science of reading' phonics approach. 
