School closure carnage even worse than expected

It appears that pandemic learning loss is even worse than expected. Where’s the accounting for those — such as the national teachers unions — that pushed devastating school closures and unleashed waves of vitriol on those who dared disagree?

On Thursday, the Department of Education released the first information on student test scores since the pandemic began. The news is grim, to say the least. Average scores in reading for fourth graders fell to 215 from 220 (out of a possible 500) in 2022. Math results were 7 points lower at 234.