Michigan low-income students hit hardest academically during pandemic, report shows

In some corners of the state, Michigan students have lost as much as a year's worth of learning.

Students in Lansing and Saginaw lost the equivalent of a year's worth of math and reading lessons, while students in Birmingham lost about a fifth of a school year, new data shows, according to a report from The Education Trust - Midwest, a Michigan-based education nonprofit.

As a part of its State of Michigan Education report, the organization compiled state testing data along with national test scores that show Michigan's rank among other states, and analyzed where students are vulnerable, finding low-income students in particular have suffered academic blows through the pandemic. Its findings echo national test results released in the fall. The report includes 10 recommendations for educators and policymakers to improve public education for vulnerable students, including English language learners and students in special education programs.

Amber Arellano, executive director of The Education Trust - Midwest, said academic repercussions from the pandemic will continue to bedevil students in Michigan in coming years and recovery efforts are key to helping children.

"It's a pandemic generation," she said. "It's not like it's going to go on for a year or two. It's going to go on for years and years."

This report comes out just weeks before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is scheduled to outline her policy priorities for 2023 on Jan. 25 in her State of the State address.

What the data shows

Analysts used data from the Education Recovery Scorecard, a collaboration between Harvard and Stanford researchers. They also used scores from the state M-STEP test, comparing this year's scores with pre-pandemic numbers, and scores from the NAEP assessment, a national test a sample of students took in 2022, which compares how students fared in different states and major U.S. cities, including Detroit.

Among the statistics from the last two years the report highlighted:

• Students in the Lansing and Saginaw school districts suffered some of the most learning loss in reading and math, the equivalent of more than a year of knowledge, according to the Education Recovery Scorecard.
• Districts serving a higher population of students from wealthy homes, such as Ann Arbor, Northville and Birmingham, still showed learning loss, but less than districts in lower-income areas.
• In fourth-grade reading on the NAEP assessment, Michigan students lost more ground between 2022 and 2019 than the national average, ranking 43rd among U.S. states for fourth-grade reading.
• Between 2019 and 2022, Black students' scores in fourth grade reading on the NAEP assessment dropped by nearly 11 points, which the organization equates to more than a year of unfinished learning, nearly triple the drop of white students' scores.

The numbers show the depth of the crisis facing students at all levels of public education. The Education Trust specifically wants policymakers to direct resources to early childhood education efforts, from pre-K to third grade, Jen DeNeal, director of policy and research, said.

"These disparities that we know exist start very early and often persist for far too long in children's lives," she said.

Narrowing the achievement gap

The report's recommendations focus on directing resources to student academic recovery, state education funding, data collection, educator recruitment, early literacy and dyslexia intervention.

The report urges state leaders to direct resources to evidence-based recovery strategies, like high-dosage tutoring, to get students back on track. A Chalkbeat and Bridge Detroit report, published in collaboration with the Detroit Free Press, found that Michigan schools have not made tutoring a central feature in recovery efforts, despite $6 billion in COVID relief dollars meant to help students recover academically. Whitmer in her bid for reelection said she would prioritize tutoring efforts in her next term; it's unclear what policies may pass this year to aid districts in providing tutoring.

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As in previous reports, Education Trust officials also recommended the state adopt a more equitable education funding system, which would allocate more money for students with higher needs, such as English language learners and low-income students. While the recommendation is similar to advocacy from years past, it may be more significant this year as Democrats control the Michigan House and Senate for the first time in nearly 40 years.

"There's going to be a big debate about how to overhaul school funding over the next couple of years," Arellano said. "Those kinds of details are going to make the difference of trillions of dollars for low income students and other vulnerable students."

Contact Lily Altavena: Laltavena@freepress.com.