For more than two decades, private-school vouchers have unlocked educational opportunities for thousands of Ohio students. In just the past year, more than 70,0
Black students are faring far worse during the pandemic than others, new test data out of Ohio show, with COVID-19’s disruptions setting them back as much as a half year’s worth of learning and widening longstanding racial achievement gaps.
The results of Ohio’s fall 2020 third grade reading tests offer a dire warning on the damage the pandemic could inflict on students across the country, particularly minority students.
“We are seeing existing inequalities grow before our eyes,” said Ohio State University professor Vladimir Kogan, who estimated that students across Ohio have lost a third of a year of learning on average, while Black students have lost half a year. “I think it calls for us as a state to respond.”