Staff Reports
According to the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the approach that Florida took throughout the Chinese coronavirus outbreak, which was to prioritize in-person learning, has proven to be prudent. These results are further evidence of the terrible impact that coronavirus shutdowns had, particularly on children.
In a news statement sent by DeSantis's office, it was said that Florida ranks third in the nation in Grade 4 Reading and fourth in Grade 4 Mathematics. [Citation needed]
We recognized that locking students out of classrooms would do broad harm to our pupils, which is why we insist that schools open and ensuring that students have the opportunity to learn in person in 2020. The results from today demonstrate, once again, that the choice we made was the correct one, DeSantis said in a statement.
We also recognized that younger pupils and students who were already in a precarious situation would be the most affected if schools were closed, and the outcomes spoke for themselves. In Florida, our fourth grade students rank third in Reading and fourth in Math, achieving top 4 in both English and Math for the first time in state history, he said, adding in a tweet that the results, when adjusted for demographics, are even better: In Florida, our fourth grade students rank third in Reading and fourth in Math. We achieved top 4 in both English and Math for the first time in state history.
We kept schools open in 2020, and today’s NAEP results once again prove that we made the right decision.
In Florida, adjusted for demographics, 4th grade students are #1 in both Reading and Math. pic.twitter.com/UiJ2hSGURv
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 24, 2022
His revelation comes at the same time as the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which indicated that pupils in the fourth through eighth grades in the United States had registered what has been termed in publications as the biggest ever loss in arithmetic, in addition to troubling markers in reading.
The findings in today's Nation's Study Card are deplorable and unacceptable, said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, who referred to the report as a moment of truth for education. Cardona called the report a moment of truth for education.
He continued by saying that how we reply to this will define not just our recovery but also our nation's standing in the world.
The revelation made by DeSantis comes a little more than one month after the Heritage Foundation published a report in which it ranked the Sunshine State as number one in the category of educational freedom:
Congratulations to Florida and @GovRonDeSantis!
🏆 Florida ranks #1 among the states in our new Education Freedom Report Card. https://t.co/406QumOBap pic.twitter.com/e6aAmHhEFJ
— Heritage Foundation (@Heritage) September 8, 2022
During his remarks over the weekend at an event titled Education Freedom, DeSantis stated that governors were compelled to make judgments on the management of their respective states when the Chinese coronavirus struck.
We witnessed a large number of governors from across country who continued to restrict people's movements. In Florida, we came to the conclusion that we should help people out.
We defended people's rights to freedom and labor, which resulted in the preservation of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of employment opportunities. He reminded the audience of the reaction the state experienced from the mainstream press and lockdown lobbyists for ensuring that companies could run and for being the first large state to announce that every single kid in this state has a rights to be in school in person five days a week.
I had a look at the statistics. I went through the studies. I made certain that we were able to know, and it was evident even back then — this was over two years ago now — that children needed to be attending school. The evidence was unambiguous. Fear drove them. It was a state of hysteria. The governor said that the media was spreading false information, and admitted that he was unsure of the political consequences.
But you know, what a leader needs to do is you had to put the best interest of the individuals you represent ahead of your own interests, and I was prepared to take the arrows, he added to cheers. But you know, what a leader has to do is you got to put your own interests ahead of the best interest of the individuals you represent. I was ready to distinguish myself, and I was prepared to fight for you and your families.
And compare that to the way that so many other states around the country have brutally kept children from attending school, often for over a year that they have kept them out. And would you believe it? He promised that children in Florida would not become a casualty of a culture of fear, noting that those who lock their children out are more likely to send their children to private school or in-person tutoring.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Breitbart.
