The Excerpt Why do US students continue to fall behind in reading and math?
Oct 22, 2025
Martin West, Academic Dean at Harvard Graduate School of Education and researcher on student achievement, sheds light on alarming trends in U.S. education. He discusses how students' dwindling reading and math scores predate the pandemic and the potential distractions of technology and social media. West also explores the faster decline of girls' scores and emphasizes the need for political accountability in education policy. He warns that these educational failures pose long-term risks to economic success and the nation's global standing.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Learning Decline Predated The Pandemic
- National Assessment trends show declines beginning before the pandemic, peaking in different years across subjects and grades.
- Martin West links these pre-2020 declines to pervasive factors like smartphones, heavy screen use, and social media distractions.
Classroom Tech Can Amplify Distraction
- The rise of classroom delivery systems and constant device use may amplify distractions and hinder focus on learning.
- West suggests that requiring students to be on devices for schoolwork makes escaping digital distraction harder.
Girls More Affected By Social Media
- Girls' scores have fallen faster than boys', and West links this to greater adverse mental-health impacts from social media for girls.
- He flags this gendered effect as another reason to scrutinize technology's role in learning declines.