Alabama led the nation in maintaining math and reading achievement during the pandemic, reports Trisha Powell Crain of AL.com. That is, it lost the least learning. "At the district level, Alabama schools also were among the top in the country for learning gains among Black and Hispanic students."
Despite the state's history of low achievement, a new analysis of the pandemic's impact shows Alabama school districts rank high for "preserving learning of Black and Hispanic students" and improving math and reading achievement. Hoover City Schools showed "strong learning gains for poor students, Black students and Hispanic students." Schools reopened quickly for in-person instruction, said Superintendent Dee Fowler. “Kids learn best with a teacher,” he said. According to the Education Recovery Scorecard, "Alabama ranked third among all states for preserving learning in reading," reports Crain. Students "lost the equivalent of a few weeks of school," while scores dropped much more elsewhere. "Louisiana and Hawaii were the only states to increase reading scores, equivalent to an additional month of learning from 2019 to 2022."