Monday, October 24: American Kids Are Dumb Again
Covid made schooling harder, and it's the kids who suffered most
Recent results on national exams indicate what I’ve been saying for years: kids these days are getting dumber. It may be an overstatement, but test results show a noticeable drop in math and reading scores for kids across the country. The pandemic killed more than a million Americans, but the biggest casualty may have been the ability of young Americans to excel in an academic setting.
Talking to young people these days, it’s striking to hear how Covid affected their ability to attend class consistently or how unsuccessful their remote learning experience was. I consider myself endlessly fortunate to have completed school by the time the pandemic rocked the nation.
As more companies and industries push for workers to return to the office full time, it’s important to understand that it’s not just grown ups suffering from pandemic fatigue.
Side Items
Better Be…Rishi: The Sorting Hat has spoken, and it looks like Rishi Sunak will be the next PM of Great Britain. He would be the first person of color to hold the office, which means nothing because people of color can also be bad at their jobs. I’m confident he’ll last longer than Liz Truss (hilarious if he didn’t though), but I’m equally confident he won’t last very long in office
Brazil’s Runoff Election: One of the largest democracies in the world has the opportunity to elect a new leader on Sunday, as Lula and Bolsonaro face off. The election is widely considered the nation’s most important vote in decades, partially because the health of their democracy may be at stake. Sounds familiar
Fun Cop Fact: The year to date budget for Chicago police lawsuit settlements currently sits at over $91 million. This money, taken from Chicago taxpayers, helps to cover police mistakes and misconduct. But at over 91 million, it’s actually more than the city is spending on violence prevention programs. Imagine using that money any other way