FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@edtrust.org

Statement from EdTrust Vice President of P-12 Policy, Research, and Practice, Allison Socol on the Release of NAEP Scores
“Race, zip code, and income continue to determine the resources and instruction students receive”

WASHINGTON – “The U.S. is in the midst of a literacy crisis, a moral failure to the nation’s students and families and a threat to our economic stability. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 12th graders, released today, reaffirms that race, zip code, and income continue to determine the resources and instruction students receive. This is a call for immediate action.

“This year’s NAEP scores revealed that less than 50% of Black students and 60% of Latino students scored at or above basic in reading, compared to 75% of white students. For math scores, the trends are similar: 67% of white students scored at or above basic, while 30% of Black students, 40% of Latino students, and 38% of students from low-income backgrounds scored at or above basic. These inequities in math and literacy proficiency continue to wreak havoc on our students’ and our nation’s future.

“While science-based approaches to literacy are embraced across the aisle, we are seeing many political leaders put forward federal and state budgets that propose slashing funding and grants for underserved schools and communities in favor of voucher and school choice programs for the wealthy. This undermines the very literacy efforts that many leaders claim to support. These budgets not only threaten students’ ability to thrive in the classroom, but they also put the economic futures of both students and our nation at risk. Now is the time to invest fully in students and public schools — not abandon them.”

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