US school attendance, test scores drop; NYC loses thousands of kindergarteners

EARLIER THIS WEEK — WE DISCUSSED THE TEACHER SHORTAGE COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC.
YOU CAN FIND THAT STORY ON S-A-N-DOT-COM. NOW — IT APPEARS THERE IS ALSO A SHORTAGE OF STUDENTS ATTENDING CLASS.

DATA COMPILED BY A STANFORD UNIVERSITY EDUCATION PROFESSOR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FOUND MORE THAN A QUARTER OF U-S STUDENTS MISSED AT LEAST 10 PERCENT OF THE 20-21-20-22 SCHOOLYEAR.
10 PERCENT IS THE THRESHOLD A STUDENT REACHES TO BE CONSIDERED CHRONICALLY ABSENT.
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC — ONLY 15 PERCENT OF STUDENTS MET SUCH A THRESHOLD.

REASONS FOR KIDS STAYING HOME INCLUDE FINANCES, TRANSPORTATION ISSUES, ANXIETY, BULLYING AND SCHOOL STAFFING SHORTAGES.
THESE TEACHER SHORTAGES AND STUDENT ABSENCES ARE ONLY PILING ONTO ISSUES WITH U-S SCHOOLING IN A POST-PANDEMIC POLL.
OVER THE PAST YEAR — THE NATION’S REPORT CARD FOUND EVEN THE STUDENTS ATTENDING CLASSES ARE TESTING AT RECORD LOW LEVELS.

NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS DEALING WITH ITS OWN SEPARATE ISSUES — NOTABLY WHEN IT COMES TO KINDERGARTEN ENROLLMENT.
ACCORDING TO A NEW YORK POST REPORT — THE CITY HAS SEEN A 17-PERCENT DROP IN ENROLLMENT FROM THE 20-16-20-17 SCHOOL YEAR TO LAST YEAR.

AREA CHARTER SCHOOLS APPEARED TO HAVE BENEFITTED MOST OUT OF THIS TREND — GROWING BY MORE THAN 20-THOUSAND STUDENTS — OR 18 PERCENT — IN THAT SAME TIMEFRAME.