By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – An Illinois lawmaker warns that, according to the latest Nation’s Report Card, Illinois students are still behind in reading and math post-pandemic, while homeschool advocates call for more parent-driven education options.

State Rep. Reagan Deering, R-Decatur, a Mt. Zion Community School Board member and parent, said politicians prioritized teachers unions over students, leaving children behind academically.

“Schools stayed closed too long. Dollars went to bureaucracy before classrooms, and there was no urgency in providing tutoring, extending learning time, or improving attendance,” Deering said. “Teachers did their best under difficult circumstances, but inconsistent guidance and misplaced priorities from politicians have left families paying the price.”

Sarah Fletcher, former charter school educator and Head of School at White Horse Academy, explained the data confirms what she has seen for years.

“Even before COVID, Illinois proficiency rates weren’t strong,” Fletcher said. “The pandemic didn’t cause these problems, but it revealed them. Parents finally saw firsthand on Zoom what their kids were learning, or not learning.”

Deering argued that families should be treated as true partners in education rather than an “afterthought.”

The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress shows Illinois eighth graders scored the average scale score of 277 in math, above the national average of 272, but just 32% reached proficiency, highlighting ongoing struggles.

According to the new NAEP data, 33% of Illinois eighth graders were in proficient reading.

Deering criticized Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has been in office since 2019, for failing to implement a clear plan to address gaps in reading and math.

“There’s no plan, toolkit, or accountability structure to improve our outcomes. Illinois schools deserve leaders who are going to prioritize their students’ needs and empower them with the tools necessary to help lower-performing students catch up,” said Deering. “Parents are right to be frustrated. As with so many government programs, support sounds good on paper, but families can’t use them if sessions aren’t available after work, there’s no transportation or they’re not getting the information about what’s available.”

Deering said the learning loss was inflicted on students by the government failures.

“Now the government wants us to trust them to solve the problem it created. I don’t buy it, and throwing money at our kids won’t make up for the learning loss they’ve been experiencing. State legislators who stood up to the government bureaucrats who shut down our schools should have a seat at the table,” said Deering.

Shelby Doyle, senior vice president of policy and national partnerships at the National School Choice Awareness Foundation, in a statement said, “What’s especially concerning is that reading scores are down in both 4th and 8th grades, with one-third of 8th graders not even reading at a basic level. In math, 4th-grade scores showed modest progress, but only for middle- and higher-performing students. Meanwhile, 8th-grade math scores remain flat, leaving in place the historic 8-point drop we saw in 2022.”

Doyle said these results highlight two troubling patterns: lower-performing students continue to fall behind, and achievement gaps are growing wider.

Fletcher, a kindergarten teacher, said smaller classrooms allow more individual attention and parent involvement, noting over half her students left reading by year’s end. She contrasted that with public schools, which she argued rely too heavily on sight words and guessing instead of systematic phonics.

“English isn’t random, it has structure and rules. But when kids aren’t taught that, reading just becomes memorization, and they fall behind. English has something like a half a million words. There’s no way you could memorize them” she said. “Parent involvement is one of the biggest predictors of success. When parents are engaged, kids thrive.”