While public school enrollment remained flat in America from 2012-2024, it plummeted by nearly 13% in West Virginia. More than 36,000 students left the public school system during that time.
Often in superintendent turnover, it takes months—or even longer—for a district to replace a departed leader. Within the last week, however, two districts had their replacements ready just as their superintendents announced their retirements.
And levels grew in every other state as families took matters into their own hands to ensure their child's needs were met, whether academically or emotionally. "Districts now have more staff than ever and fewer students," said Marguerite Roza, director of Georgetown University's Edunomics Lab, in June. "So what happens next?"
Moves to private schools, homeschooling, and a reduction in the school-age population, are a few of the factors behind the pandemic-driven declines. But that's not the whole story.
Schools and teachers benefit in a variety of ways when teachers work together. A small but growing body of evidence suggests a positive relationship between teacher collaboration and student achievement.
