Latest news with #NationalCenterforEducationStatistics
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US teacher quits, saying kids ‘can't even read' — and she says they need to be ‘cut off' from technology ASAP
A 10th-grade English teacher is walking away from the classroom — and lighting up social media on her way out. Hannah Maria, a 20-something former educator, says she's quitting because of a sharp drop in literacy and bad behavior in her classroom. 'I really don't have a lot of faith in some of these kids that I teach,' she said in a TikTok video circulating on X. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Her emotional announcement has since gone viral — even though her account is now private, the video has roughly 7 million views. According to her, kids in her class can't sit still, have diminished attention spans and can barely read or write. And the biggest factor contributing to this decline in learning ability and behavior, she believes, is their excessive reliance on technology. 'Technology is directly contributing to the literacy decrease we are seeing in this country right now,' Maria said in her post. Here's why she believes the problem could get worse if lawmakers, regulators and school boards don't step in right away. The overreliance on AI-enabled devices has become a crutch that most students can't do without, according to Maria. 'A lot of these kids don't know how to read because they've had things read to them or they can click a button and have things read out loud to them in seconds,' she explained. 'Their attention spans are weaning because everything is high-stimulation and they can just scroll [away from something] in less than a minute. They can't sit still for very long.' Annual reading and math skill assessments by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) seem to confirm her observation. Average scores have declined 7 points in reading and 14 points in mathematics over the past decade. Younger kids are struggling too. Less than half (47%) of kindergarten students were able to read at grade level during the 2021 to 2022 school year, according to Real Clear Education. School-aged children may be struggling with reading because they're not practicing as much as they used to. According to Steam Ahead's analysis of National Assessment of Educational Progress data, only 17% of 13-year-olds reported reading for fun almost daily — the lowest rate since 1984. Instead, children find screen time more engaging and enjoyable. A study published in the JAMA Pediatrics medical journal found that adolescents aged 13 to 18 years spend 8.5 hours daily on average using screen-based media. This tech addiction is leaving many young Americans unprepared for life outside school, according to Maria. 'I understand that the world is going in a direction where AI is going to be more prevalent, even in the workforce someday,' she said. 'That still doesn't take away [from the fact that] these are basic skills you need to survive.' She calls on regulators and school boards to step in and solve the issue before it's too late. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it Maria's recommended solution for the problem is to 'cut off technology from these kids, probably until they go to college.' More than a third of U.S. adults seem to share Maria's view that the use of AI has 'very or somewhat negative' impacts on the K12 education system, according to a 2023 YouGov poll. However, most adults are not in favor of restrictions or an outright ban. Only 24% of U.S. adults said students should be prevented from using AI while 52% said schools should teach children how to use AI appropriately. Nevertheless, if AI tools become more potent and pervasive while literacy rates continue to drop, teachers, regulators and parents may have to rethink the way they educate the next generation. Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This is how American car dealers use the '4-square method' to make big profits off you — and how you can ensure you pay a fair price for all your vehicle costs Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Fox News
2 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Second lady's 2025 summer reading challenge targets declining literacy scores among students
America's second lady Usha Vance has announced the "Summer Reading Challenge," encouraging children across the country to open up a book this summer. "Adventure, imagination, and discovery await – right between the pages of a book," writes the second lady in a letter. "We are excited to invite all children (K-8) to participate in the Second Lady's 2025 Summer Reading Challenge," the letter continues. Children are encouraged to read 12 books of their choice between June 1 and Sept. 5 — and track their progress through a reading log issued by the White House. Nicole Reeves, communications director for the second lady, told Fox News Digital that Ms. Vance is very excited to announce this project in the hope of engaging young readers throughout the summer. "It is essential that we encourage our youth to continue learning outside of the classroom, and this challenge provides an excellent opportunity to do so," Reeves added. In the log of their progress, students must list the book titles and author, the date they finished reading the books, and a brief reflection about the favorite book they read. The National Center for Education Statistics found in a 2022 report that the average reading scores among 9-year-old students declined five points compared to 2020, marking the largest average score decline in reading since 1990. Approximately 40% of U.S. students cannot read at a basic level, according to the National Literacy Institute. It was also found that almost 70% of low-income fourth grade students cannot read at a basic level. The institute also found that "struggling readers" suffer both socially and emotionally. Reading promotes positive mental health outcomes, helping reduce stress and anxiety, according to the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). Children who complete the Second Lady's 2025 Summer Reading Challenge will receive a personalized certificate and a small prize. They will also be entered in a drawing for a chance to visit Washington, D.C., with a chaperone.
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
New Indiana enrollment quotas could reduce local campus degree offerings; eliminate programs
New state law enrollment quotas on Indiana's public university degree programs could have a large impact on regional campuses and lead to the elimination of some degree programs. At the session's end last month, GOP lawmakers added the quotas to House Bill 1001, the state budget bill, approved and signed by Gov. Mike Braun last month. The addition received little public scrutiny until a story appeared recently in the Indianapolis Star. Universities with degree programs that fall under the quotas for three consecutive years must request permission from the Commission for Higher Education to continue them. Those quotas include an average enrollment of 15 or more for three consecutive years in bachelor degree programs, 10 students in associate degree programs, 7 students in master's programs and 3 in educational specialist and doctorate degree programs. In 2023, the number of Hoosiers with college degrees ranked 43rd in the nation, while studies cite more educated citizens lead to stronger state economies. Some educators worry the quota law will lower the state's attainment rate even more. According to data in the Star's recent story, 76% percent of bachelor degree small enrollment programs at IU Northwest in Gary and 53% of bachelor degree small enrollment programs at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond and Westville could be affected. The data calculations came from the National Center for Education Statistics as compiled by DATA USA based on 2022 or 2003 data. Future data tracking from the Center could be in peril. In February, the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, terminated $900 million in contracts in the U.S. Department of Education including the National Center for Education Statistics. State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, said regional campuses like IU Northwest and PNW don't draw as many students as their main campuses do to always support enrollments of 15 or above. Smith is also an education professor at IU Northwest, although he's announced his retirement effective at the end of May. 'Often we have to offer independent studies and use adjuncts in those classrooms to keep costs down,' he said. 'They don't understand what we have to do to meet the needs of the students in our area,' Smith said of Republicans who control the General Assembly. 'I think the system is not broken. It's because they have all this power and they are control freaks,' Smith said. 'Their argument was less government and now they're in everything.' Republican lawmakers defended the quotas saying they'll lead to better efficiencies on campuses. Officials at Indiana and Purdue universities didn't respond to email requests for comment. Sources, however, say the quotas triggered concern across university campuses. A recent social media post by a member of PNW's Social Work Club alerted students to the new law. The post stated PNW's new social work bachelor program averaged 13 students from 2021 to 2023, leaving it in jeopardy. The post urged students to send testimonials to the Commission on Higher Education. PNW's bachelor in social work program has been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education until 2031. Graduates are eligible for state licensures as social workers in the job field that shows increased employment projections of 7%. Several STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, programs at IU Northwest could also be in jeopardy. They include biology, biochemistry, computer and information sciences, engineering and math, radiation therapy and informatics. PNW degree programs with smaller numbers include computer engineering, electrical engineering, general chemistry and physics, history and math. Braun, who appoints 12 members of the 14-member Higher Commission board, supports the enrollment review process. Griffin Reid, spokesman for Braun, said in an email: 'This provision ensures our state-funded universities are preparing future college graduates for professional success with degrees that are in demand in Indiana. Universities will be able to request (the state) continue degree programs that fall below this threshold and are of specific interest to the state.' The next meeting of the Commission for Higher Education is July 10. Bill Hanna, executive director of the Dean and Barbara White Foundation, represents Northwest Indiana although his current term expires June 30.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rising number of college grads are unemployed, new research shows
Recent college graduates are having a harder time finding work, despite their higher education degrees, which usually give job-seekers a leg up in the labor market. That's according to a new report from Oxford Economics which shows that unemployed recent college grads account for 12% of an 85% rise in the national unemployment rate since mid-2023. That's a high number, given that this cohort only makes up 5% of the total labor force. What's more, the rate of unemployment among workers, ages 22 and 27, who have recently graduated from college, is nearing 6% —which is above the national unemployment rate of 4.2%. "People who have obtained a bachelor's degree or higher have a higher unemployment rate than national average, and this is the first time this has happened in the last 45 years of data," Matthew Martin, senior U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, told CBS MoneyWatch. That's noteworthy, he said, because "those with higher educational attainment usually have better prospects overall than their peer with less." So why are recent college grads are having a tougher time finding work post-college than previous graduating classes did? While the report points to a couple of factors, it finds that much of the rising rate is being driven by industries where employers are slowing hiring. "The rise in the recent graduate unemployment rate is largely part of a mismatch between an oversupply of recent graduates in fields where business demand has waned," according to the report. That holds especially true in the tech industry, as more college students graduate with degrees in computer science and related fields than any other major. "Prospects for employment will remain minimal for these individuals, keeping the unemployment rate elevated in the near term," Oxford Economics researchers wrote in the report. Tech sector-centric Computer science is among the fastest-growing fields of study among undergrads, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, but jobs in the sector are particularly vulnerable to replacement by automation. Recent advances in artificial intelligence also expose workers in the field to being rendered obsolete. "There's a mismatch between business demand and the labor supply overall," Martin said. "And it's very concentrated in the technology sector." The industry hired at a fast clip when the economy reopened post-pandemic, before pulling back. Those cuts are likely still affecting the current unemployment rate, according to Martin. "Some of it could be a normalization after the tech sector's hiring surge at the end of the pandemic around 2021," he said. "But there's also evidence that AI is starting to impact lower-level computer science gigs," he added. Experienced workers who graduated with computer science degrees but have racked up more than a few years of experience are faring fine, noted Martin. It's those who do the kind of lower-level, rote work that AI is already adept at, who are seeing a mismatch between the number of jobs available and the supply of workers seeking them. "Some of it might be businesses being productive with the workers they have and not wanting to increase costs overall by hiring. It could also be higher adoption rates of AI," Martin said. "At the moment, it looks to be a bit of both." Uncertainty slows hiring Economic uncertainty, driven largely by President Trump's aggressive, yet ever-changing tariff agenda, is also leading a number of businesses to press pause on growth and investment. Because of this, the unemployment rate among recent college graduates could continue to inch upward, according to Martin. "We are heading into a period where uncertainty is really high; the impact of tariffs is starting to bleed through, and businesses are facing higher input costs," he said. Although recent college graduates who have secured employment aren't being laid off at higher rates than the rest of the workforce, Martin doesn't expect things to get easier for young graduates on the hunt for employment, absent a surge in hiring by tech companies or mass exodus of workers from the labor force. "There is some softening in demand overall, but a lot of it is concentrated at the moment in recent college graduates, and we are looking for the unemployment rate to rise," he said. The "underemployment" effect When qualified workers with college degrees try and fail to find work in their desired field, they tend to continue seeking work, sometimes looking for a job in another sector, as opposed to withdrawing from the labor force, the report notes. That can lead t college-educated workers finding themselves "underemployed," or in roles where 50% of the workers who occupy them do not have a bachelor's degree or higher. This scenario can doom them for years to come: Underemployed workers tend to remain so for the rest of their careers, according to a report. Trump delivers Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery Trump reverses course on EU tariffs; Republicans eye sanctions on Russia SpaceX readies 9th Starship test flight after last 2 broke apart
Newsweek
26-05-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Generation Alpha Is Causing Problems for Teachers
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Short attention spans, an overdependence on technology and a lack of interest in learning are all things that Generation Alpha has been accused of having. The demographic, born between the 2010s and the mid 2020s, is entering a world of education that is radically different than their Generation Z predecessors. Hit by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as young children, Generation Alpha is going through school at a time when technology is more ubiquitous in education than ever before. And if the discourse on social media is to be believed, their journey into education has been anything but seamless, with teachers and social media creators sounding the alarm on Generation Alpha and their relationship with learning and technology. Concerns extend well beyond social media too – a report released in January 2025 from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that the reading and math skills of fourth- and eighth-grade students have declined in multiple states to below the national average. Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, said in a statement after the January National Assessment of Educational Progress report was released: "These 2024 results clearly show that students are not where they need to be or where we want them to be." Newsweek spoke with teachers to find out more. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva What Difficulties Are Generation Alpha Students Experiencing At School? Newsweek spoke with Elizabeth McPherson, who is known by her handle Ms Mac on TikTok. She told Newsweek by email: "There's been a noticeable shift in student engagement and accountability. Many students today appear apathetic and disconnected from their own learning, and it's not simply a matter of motivation—it's systemic." Citing a lack of exam learning and low attendance, McPherson said: "When students learn that minimal effort still yields promotion and that they can be chronically absent without consequence, they stop seeing the value in showing up—mentally or physically." Matt Eicheldinger is a New York Times bestselling author and TikTok creator with a background in teaching. Eicheldinger told Newsweek that while the experience of students varies greatly across districts and states, there are three points that illustrate a "noticeable change in student focus and engagement in school, all in regard to Gen A," he said, when "smartphones became more commonplace, when one-to-one devices were introduced into schools, and the post Covid-19 reentry to in-person school." Eicheldinger said that smartphones becoming more common caused "major disruptions," particularly at a middle school level. "It wasn't just the fact that students tried using them during class," he said. "Students' involvement in text messaging and social media brought outside-of-school social issues into schools. It was difficult to manage all the online bullying, harassment, and anxiety, and placed a lot of the burden on classroom teachers, counselors, social workers, and administration to figure out how to handle it. This had a direct negative impact on student learning." Gabe Dannebring, a teacher and TikTok creator who has amassed more than 1 million followers, told Newsweek: "I have noticed Gen Alpha struggling to focus in school. Students are constantly stimulated by technology in their free time, so when it comes to learning, they struggle to stay focused on tasks for an extended amount of time." Dannebring also noted that "Gen Alpha is also very anxious, which causes them to struggle with communication to large audiences. Now more than ever, I see students having panic attacks when they have to present to their peers." How Is Technology Impacting Younger Generations? "Technology is impacting this generation in powerful ways—both good and bad," McPherson said. "Students have unlimited access to knowledge. That's a gift. But with that gift comes a cost: instant gratification. And that makes it hard for students to commit to learning processes that are slow, complex, or challenging." Dannebring echoed this: "Technology is impacting this generation in many ways, and not all of them are positive. Many students are so used to the instant gratification and dopamine rush from their phones that classroom learning, which is much slower and less stimulating, feels like a letdown." Eicheldinger said that when his school introduced one-to-one iPads for students, "there were clear, obvious benefits that we were so excited for," including "the ability for students to have better workflow options, clearer communication with grading for parents, having the internet as a tool to compliment other teaching resources, and all other sorts of tech we saw the potential in." A child sits on the floor in Germany on September 12, 2014. A child sits on the floor in Germany on September 12, 2014. Tobias Hase/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images But this came with a downside. "I do not think we were ready for the negative impact it would have on learning," Eicheldinger said, explaining that students were "constantly trying to play games" and there was an "inability to control impulses," adding that "we had students who physically could not stop touching their iPad, even just swiping the home screen." And students aren't having screen time only at school. "We had students who would sometimes be on a screen their entire learning day and then go home to 4-5 hours of additional recreational screen time," Eicheldinger said. Technology is in turn, impacting how students relate to traditional subjects like reading and writing. "With the way social media algorithms work, students are being fed nonstop content that's not only entertaining but also specifically tailored to their interests," Dannebring said. "That personalized experience has made traditional academic tasks, like reading and writing, feel much less engaging. "When you're used to content that's fast-paced, visually engaging, and highly personalized, a standard reading assignment just doesn't compete," Dannebring said, adding that students "are a product of their environment, and their environment is one of constant digital stimulation and dopamine rushes." McPherson said: "Many students struggle to find value in traditional subjects unless there's a direct, tangible payoff. If they can't see how reading or writing will translate into a paycheck or immediate benefit, they're often uninterested. Intrinsic motivation—the kind that keeps you learning even when something gets hard—is fading." What Needs To Change For Generation Alpha? "We need to bring back accountability," McPherson said. And beyond that? "We have to rethink the curriculum and how we deliver it. "This generation is different, so the same strategies from decades ago simply don't work anymore. We need more hands-on, student-centered learning experiences—projects, discussions, simulations, real-world applications." Eicheldinger said: "We need to teach students how to determine if a source is credible. So often, students rely on the first thing they read [or in most cases, watch] as the main source, when in reality it might be just a popular video from an individual who isn't well educated on the topic, and is instead just giving their opinion." Dannebring noted the challenges posed to education by AI. "Some students are becoming incredibly savvy with tools like AI," he said. "Many teachers don't even realize how much of their students' work is being completed 100 percent with AI. It's a challenge because while tech can be a powerful tool for learning, it's also changing the way students engage with education, and many educators are still trying to catch up." McPherson added: "It's not about abandoning tradition—it's about adapting it. We need to be willing to reimagine what school looks like. And that reimagination should start with the people who are in the classroom every day—teachers—and the people we serve—our students."
