Granite State test scores are on the rise despite the detrimental effects on learning, testing and the overall structure of early education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, New Hampshire is now being considered one of the top test-scoring states throughout the nation. Despite this high-crowning achievement, education officials still believe there is a clear answer to this growing learning curve and far more room to improve on the students of N.H.’s part.
An article by New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) details the percentages of these newfound test scores and their rate of improvement, stating N.H. falls within the top 10-12% of all fourth-grade and eighth-grade math and reading scores. This is a mighty achievement for these hardworking Granite State students. However, a correlation between state funding and these excelling academic performances has been made.
Within the same article, the president of the National Education Association of New Hampshire and one of the largest teachers’ unions in the state, Megan Tuttle, applauds N.H. teachers’ efforts during the pandemic while recognizing the positive effects of grant money given during those harder times. She stated, “The funds definitely helped during the pandemic. And I’m not saying you throw money at the problem and it goes away, but having those extra funds was helping to support some of those programs. … So now the state really needs to figure out, what are they going to do about that?”
The last of that grant money was distributed in September 2024 and is estimated to run out by the end of this school year, meaning who knows what will become of this afforded assistance once it is gone.
Recognizing the importance of state education funding nowadays is of utmost importance. We live in a time where our Department of Education sits on a crumbling precipice, soon to collapse in favor of privatizing all education entirely. Who knows what will become of state budgets for schools not only in the state of N.H. but nationwide? Just this year special education funding in N.H. was threatened with a much lower budget under a proposed plan by Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut.
Yet, it has been made repeatedly clear that directing more funds into our state schools yields nothing but positive results for the minds of young learners.
The hardworking teachers of Granite State can only do so much on their own. They have dedicated their lives to educating and molding the youth of tomorrow, despite the many challenges posed by both the rise of screen addiction and the threat of harsh educational reform and censorship by our newfound presidential cabinet. As stated by Tuttle, the money granted by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds will have dried up by the end of this very year. We must make the positive changes associated with this funding known and press our government officials harder to lend more aid to our public schools. The money is there, it simply must be allocated accordingly for the sake of our teachers and future scholars alike.
Kara Montagano can be contacted at
kmontagano@kscequinox.com
