A young girl sits on the ground, reading a book she's holding in her lap.

In dark times, focus on the bright spots

Recently, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the gold standard of federal standardized testing, released data indicating that 13-year-olds have hit the lowest math and reading performance scores in decades. Unsurprisingly, this correlated with data about learning loss from the pandemic, especially for children of color. As I read this newest report, I reflected…