"We are actively dealing with problems remote learning caused. A whole generation of kids is further behind than they were tracking to be behaviorally, mathematically, and in reading scores."
Gee I wonder what would do that, is it three+ years of unmitigated exposure to a virus that causes brain damage? No, the problem is they stayed home, which makes you developmentally challenged, as we all know. Oh, you don't want to get COVID? Then stay home.
The current crop of fifth graders around here (those who had the end of kindergarten and all of first grade suddenly shifted to remote) is really struggling socially and academically. There is a very specific type of pain you cannot experience until you watch a first-grade teacher desperately try to get a couple dozen students to mute and unmute themselves on Zoom at the appropriate times.
In a better world, we would have at least used that time to outfit public schools to be as safe as possible and mandated indoor masking. Alas,