Louisiana education chief celebrates ‘unpopular’ decision to keep kids in class after weathering COVID fallout
'We weathered it better than other places,' Louisiana's Department of Education superintendent says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A recent national education survey revealed math and reading scores have dipped to levels not seen in decades after the coronavirus upended the education system across the country. But in Louisiana, the state fared better than the national average, which the state’s top education chief attributed to keeping kids in school during the pandemic.
"We did not completely prevent learning loss, but certainly I feel like we weathered it better than other places," Louisiana’s Department of Education Superintendent Cade Brumley told Fox News Digital in an interview. "There are several things that I believe matter for us. Number one is we prioritized face-to-face instruction. I was super, super aggressive in my belief that… we could safely have our kids in school."
The toll the pandemic took on education was on full display last week, after the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known better as the Nation’s Report Card, revealed national math scores saw their largest decrease ever. Reading scores, meanwhile, dropped to levels not seen since 1992.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The test was administered earlier this year among hundreds of thousands of fourth and eighth graders. The test is typically given every two years, but was last given before the pandemic hit the U.S.
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Empty elementary classroom during recess. (iStock)
In Louisiana, however, scores fared better for fourth and eighth graders than national averages.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The average scale score for fourth grade reading in the Bayou State increased by 2 points this year compared to 2019. Nationally, the fourth grade reading score fell by 3 points this year compared with 2019. The score rocketed Louisiana to the top spot for reading growth across all states.
As for fourth grade math, Louisiana fared better than the national average, decreasing by 2 points compared with the overall 5-point decrease recorded.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Data showing how Louisiana students fared compared to national data. (Louisiana Department of Education)
At the eighth grade level, Louisiana saw no drop or difference for reading, while the national score recorded a 3-point drop. The state recorded a 6-point drop in eighth grade math – better than the 8-point national drop.
"We still have a long way to go in terms of outcomes in our state, but I think that this clearly shows that we weathered this storm and that we are committed to accelerating forward and that's what we're going to do," Brumley said.
Schools across the country closed in March 2020 amid the outbreak of the coronavirus. (iStock)
Schools in the state shut down when the coronavirus first hit the U.S. in 2020 and soon washed over the nation. But by the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year – after Brumley officially took the job of superintendent in June 2020 – many school districts reopened for in-person instruction.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In September 2021, Brumley announced a massive change to public school policies: students who were in close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus would not need to quarantine.
The move set off a firestorm of criticisms from fellow state leaders, including the top health official and the Democratic governor, but Brumely did not back down.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Look, I made unpopular decisions. That's the bottom line. I said, kids are going to be in school every day. I said we're going to end some of the unnecessary quarantining that were putting healthy kids out of school. And I faced tremendous backlash from that at so many levels. But had I not done those things? I don't know what our results would look like today," Brumley told Fox.
Louisiana’s Department of Education Superintendent Cade Brumley (Louisiana Department of Education)
The choice to quarantine was left to the parents, Brumley said.
"Kids belong to their parents, not the government, and we have to appreciate and honor that. And I want to be part of making sure that that is well understood across the state of Louisiana," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But the pandemic wasn’t the only tragic hurdle the state’s school system faced over the last few years: Louisiana was battered by multiple hurricanes that forced thousands of kids out of schools temporarily.
"We had Hurricane Laura, we had Hurricane Delta, we had Zeta, we had Ida. And these knocked kids out of school for periods of time. And so we also had to figure out particularly around our coast, how can we safely get our kids back to school as a result of the hurricanes as quickly as possible?"
But the public school districts got creative on how to keep kids up to speed on work, including priorizing summer school for students, which Brumley said saw three or four times the typical involvement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We moved from an outdated model of summer school, which everyone is like snooze fest, to an exciting version of summer camp. Where we said we're going to have sports, we're going to have the arts, we're going to have fun activities. Oh, and by the way, when you're here, we're going to sneak you in for math and reading tutoring," he said.
Brumley added that though he had an uphill battle to keep kids in school and was criticized by some in the state, the fight was well worth it.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I have jokingly said I am waiting for an editorial for all the critics just to come out and say, ‘OK, Brumley was right,’" he said.