Washington’s child well-being may be doing better than the national average, but that doesn’t mean the children are getting any smarter. Especially in the reading and math departments. Why is that? We’ll discuss that below.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Report
I wrote about a recent report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which talked about overall child well-being in Washington being on a decline (compared to before the pandemic). We are on the positive side compared to the rest of the country, but there is still room to improve, especially in education.
In regard to education, Washington dropped to 31st from its previous ranking of 27th, with 70% of 8th graders not proficient in math and 68% of 4th graders not proficient in reading.
Are Washington Kids Dumber Now?
Anyone who has been walking in public or in a grocery store and just watches how children act and behave might have already guessed that kids are dumber (or at least acting dumber) nowadays. Are they really dim, or are they just being kids? Maybe both.
Who/What is To Blame?
With the report comparing kids before the pandemic, we need to keep in mind how that weird year+ impacted them. No social interaction, non-stop screen time, non-stop fear being sent to them in every direction. It impacted them on every level.
If I had to place a bet, my money would be on technology as the reason for the decline in education. The very tools that are supposed to help us could be hurting us, especially kids.
According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, more screen time can lead to lower grades in school and several other issues that can stay with them for a long time.
“On average, children age 8-18 in the United States spend 7 1/2 hours a day watching or using screens.”
– AACAP.org
The process of imagination, working through a problem, and being frustrated by the unknown are things of the past, which should be a good thing, but when you’re developing your brain, it probably isn’t.
READ MORE: 15 Toys That Could Have Killed Us In The Past (If We Weren't Smart)
Critical thinking seems to be gone and replaced with instant answers and gratifications. Kids are now told to “show your work,” and they hit the two buttons to do a screen capture. It is not the same.
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Gallery Credit: Kyle Matthews