Before getting to what U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said about the importance of our government funding education in Ukraine, let’s take a look at the situation at home:
The average test scores for U.S. 13-year-olds have dipped in reading and dropped sharply in math since 2020, according to new data from National Assessment of Educational Progress.
The average scores, from tests given last fall, declined 4 points in reading and 9 points in math, compared with tests given in the 2019-2020 school year, and are the lowest in decades. The declines in reading were more pronounced for lower performing students, but dropped across all percentiles.
The math scores were even more disappointing. On a scale of 500 points, the declines ranged from 6 to 8 points for middle and high performing students, to 12 to 14 points for low performing students.
With that in mind, Janet Yellen said in an interview that it’s important for the U.S. to prioritize education in Ukraine because it’s in America’s national security interest:
.@SecYellen: ‘We can’t allow Ukraine to lose a battle on the homefront because it lacks enough money to keep schoolteachers in the classroom”
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