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The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results are alarming, but they do not surprise me. If anything, they confirm what we at the Center on Reinventing Public Education have been seeing for years — and what we documented in our latest State of the American Student report. Pandemic recovery has been inadequate and uneven, with the most vulnerable students falling even further behind. This is not a new problem, nor is it one that will resolve itself without bold action.

NAEP also offers insight into why achievement gaps are widening. Survey results show increasingly lower expectations and higher absenteeism rates among both students and their teachers. Nearly 60% of high-performing students said they were asked more than five times to write long answers to questions on tests or assignments that involved reading last school year, compared with only 32% of low-performing students.

No one should dismiss these results or try to explain them away. American students are not receiving the educational opportunities they deserve or the preparation they need to succeed in an increasingly complex society and changing economy. The current system is failing them, and the consequences will be severe and long-lasting.

Our analysis in September was clear: Unless something changes dramatically, this trend will continue for years. The current struggles are not just pandemic-induced: There has been little sustained progress in student achievement since the early 2000s; in fact, in some areas, progress has backslid. Some states and cities have managed to make progress, and they may offer useful lessons, but the overall picture remains bleak. There are no quick fixes, but there are certainly steps that can and must be taken.

The first is acknowledging the scale of the problem and responding with urgency. Policymakers and educators can implement evidence-based strategies to help students recover. We and others have consistently documented the positive impact of:

None of these are fundamentally partisan issues. Red and blue states alike are adopting these interventions, and they should be implemented everywhere. These are the basics. Are the decisionmakers who fail to put these proven interventions into place truly serious about solving the problems at hand?

Let’s be honest: The NAEP scores make their own case that what’s needed are fundamental reforms — not just tinkering around the edges. This is not just about playing catch-up from the pandemic; it is about redesigning an education system that has been failing too many students for too long. This means embracing bold, evidence-based reforms, even when they are politically difficult:

• Expand high-performing public charter schools. The best charters are delivering results for the students that NAEP shows are falling farthest behind. The nation needs more of them.
• Redesign high school. The current model is outdated and ineffective for too many students. The nation needs schools that are more relationship-based, relevant and engaging.
• Leverage emerging technologies. Tools driven by artificial intelligence that support personalized learning, tutoring, curriculum and assessment can help ensure all students get the support they need while empowering educators to be more effective.
• Provide families with honest data. Parents deserve to know how their child is really doing, not just receive meaningless report cards that obscure academic struggles.
• Hold adults accountable for student outcomes. Education leaders and policymakers must be responsible for results through thoughtful and fair accountability mechanisms.

Every city and state in this country has work to do, and that has been clear for a long time. The inertia, political resistance and implementation fatigue that have held back so many students must be confronted head-on. Now is the time for leadership.

If you have been paying attention, the NAEP results should not shock you. What should shock you is that education systems are not, on the whole, changing course. Isn’t the very definition of insanity doing the same things while expecting different results?

The data are clear. Young kids are not catching up. Gaps were widening even before the pandemic. The crisis is real, and it is not going away on its own. Believing the NAEP results means acting on them. Hope is not a strategy. Strong leadership, political courage and a commitment to evidence-based reforms are the only paths forward.

Governors, state chiefs, mayors and federal officials must commit to the long, politically challenging work of ensuring that all American students can realize their full potential. If they do not, this will be yet another opportunity squandered — and the cost will be measured in the futures of millions of children.

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