Michigan Ranks As One Of The Worst Pandemic Education States In America

The COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented for so many of us around the world as we were all forced to experience a very constrained version of our lives. Almost everything was switched to be done virtually whether that was meetings, jobs, school, or even money. Most places were closed and stuck doing things remotely and many businesses switched to be cashless institutions. While many facets of life were different, none of them were as affected as the education landscape.

Trying to get an education during COVID-19 may have been one of the hardest things that has been done to this day. Working around the distance restrictions, lack of resources, and technology was another beast that no one was ready for. Virtual school affected everyone and every state differently as everyone had different approaches on how to conducting the school day. Michigan would turn out to have some of the worst pandemic education plans as the results show a sharp decline.

The Annie E Casey Foundation has been researching how the pandemic affected the education industry across the country and found some alarming results. Michigan would end up near the bottom of the list as far as educational success during and after the pandemic. Michigan ranks 41st in the country for its educational efforts and results during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the more alarming statistics found during this study is that 1 in 5 Michigan students is not finishing high school on time, marking the first time this number has grown in decades. Alongside slower graduation rates, 3 of 4 4th and 8th graders scored below the country average in both their math and reading skills. Lastly, 40% of Michigan students were chronically absent, which is 10% higher than the national average.

Although all of these problems are being found after the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic is not the sole reason for these shortcomings. Poverty and trauma are two of the highlighted factors that contribute to the statistics listed above stating that 18% of Michigan's children are living in poverty, which is slightly above the national average, and 41% of Michigan’s kids have gone through at least one adverse childhood experience.

Overall, the reading and math scores in the United States haven't gotten better in decades and America is not equipping our children with the education and skills needed to keep up with the ever-changing and growing society.