Ever since COVID-19 closed U.S. schools for in-person instruction in March 2020, questions about pandemic learning loss have shaped reactions to new data on student learning. How much did achievement fall while schools were closed?

A decade-long slide in high schoolers’ reading and math performance persisted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 12th graders’ scores dropping to their lowest level in more than 20 years, according to results released Tuesday from an exam known as the nation’s report card.

To understand why classrooms look so different today, it helps to trace how teaching methods have evolved. From the rise of “new math” to the renewed focus on phonics, the story of modern education is one of pendulum swings, policy mandates and, above all, an ongoing debate about how kids learn best.

Local districts departed from some national trends. But girls’ scores still slid more than boys’, with a few exceptions.

Scores for 12th-graders in math and reading continued their years-long slide, reaching new lows on national tests, new data released Tuesday show.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Michael Kremer's study shows Andhra Pradesh's PAL model boosts student learning, cost-effective and scalable.