The Surprising Solution to Texas' Learning Loss

As schools open back up and life returns (somewhat) to normalcy, an aftershock of the pandemic could lead to years of trouble for students nationwide: a learning loss of nearly one-and-a-half school years.

In the state of Texas, Education Commissioner Mike Morath now has the power to use Covid relief funds to bring Texas’ education system into the future. To restore student learning achievements, Texas should look to a surprising state leading the way: New Hampshire.

In March of 2021, Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, setting aside nearly $125 billion for education. The state of Texas received over $12 billion of that fund. If used correctly, this money has the power to bring Texas from its bleak pre-pandemic education rankings to a leader in state education like New Hampshire.

Before the pandemic, New Hampshire was ranked as the 4th best state for Pre-K to 12th-grade education. In comparison, Texas was ranked 35th. New Hampshire has a history of excellent educational programs as well as superior academic achievement to its east-coast neighbors. In 2016, New Hampshire eighth-graders scores #1 in reading and #2 in math on the National Assessment of Education Progress Report Card.

It is no question that, with New Hampshire’s reputation as a national leader in education, Texas should base its educational spending plan on a state known to succeed.

According to The 74, Texas’ current top spending priorities are addressing learning losses and mental health challenges. These plans sound promising at the surface but are vague and fail to set up distinct plans of action.

New Hampshire, on the other hand, has a specific three-pronged approach to reducing education loss. Its priorities are as follows: provide individual instruction to reduce learning loss, address educator fatigue, and build family engagement

A more specific plan of action is the first step Texas lawmakers need to take to create a strong foundation for the future of education. Promising to address learning losses doesn’t explain how the state plans to intervene. In Texas’ state plan, there is a lack of program initiatives or achievement goals that administrators and teachers can use.

New Hampshire is already investing in proven learning acceleration programs, like Prenda, to provide school districts with opportunities to recover lost learning.

Investments into Prenda have paved the way for New Hampshire’s Recovering Bright Futures program. This optional extracurricular program provides students with access to small in-person tutoring groups called Learning Pods led by Prenda instructors. Prenda then will send quarterly updates to school districts regarding student learning progress.

The partnership with Prenda and New Hampshire school districts is an ingenious way to provide an outside-of-school tutoring program that supplies essential data on student achievement.

For the state of Texas, focusing on tutoring will be the most essential tool for closing the gap in education loss. While finding tutors has been difficult for Texas districts such as Dallas ISD, the second part of New Hampshire’s plan would help address the shortage in teachers and tutors alike.

In October of 2021, New Hampshire collected the results of a new critical shortage survey, to determine which subjects have extreme staffing shortages. Through this data, the state will then implement strategies to support teachers in understaffed disciplines as well as know where to begin doubling down on recruitment strategies.

This is by no means a solution to the problem of teacher shortages. However, gathering the data on the most struggling subjects will give Texas school districts the foundation for future recruiting strategies as well as reducing teacher turnover rates. Only after getting the data can the teacher shortage and educator fatigue be reduced.

For Texas to excel in education, it has to look beyond the current issues so that students can succeed in the long term.

During the pandemic, New Hampshire’s department of education noticed an increase in family engagement with academics during the pandemic. The final prong of New Hampshire’s plan hopes to continue this trend to support student achievement

Numerous studies have concluded that families that engage in school lead to better student educational attainments. For New Hampshire, a yearly survey will request suggestions and critiques regarding instruction design.

By taking note of New Hampshire’s State Plan, Texas can not only rebound from this learning deficit but excel beyond its current educational rankings.

Mike Morath, I know Texas values its independence, but if we want to fix this education loss, then it is time Texas swallows its pride and follows the guidance of a state that does education right.

After all, the longer we wait, the more we fall behind.