opinion
This week, Anthony Fauci, the Trump administration's former coronavirus relief spokesman, sat down for a two-day closed-door interview with members of Congress to discuss various aspects of his role in the government's coronavirus response. While the discussions were behind closed doors and the world's most famous doctor remained silent about what was said, talk spread about what Mr. Fauci did, or perhaps better, did not acknowledge in the conversations.
The man who insisted that the American people “follow the science” and went so far as to try to claim his own avatar of studying all things in our world is allegedly unconvinced that his proposal would have any negative effects on students. Recommendations. It's not as if there has been a plethora of scientific data that has emerged in the past two years to support this claim that America's young people have paid a high price for failed coronavirus policies inspired by people like Mr. Fauci.
Just as American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten tried to rewrite history, so does Dr. Anthony Fauci. But will parents forget what his “recommendations” did to their children?
Trust the science
During a two-day interview with the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci claimed that there is no evidence to show that school closures and coronavirus-inspired policies have negatively impacted the education of American children.
Congressman Michael Cloud told reporters that Mr. Fauci:
“…He says he is still not convinced that there is learning loss – and in his view, that is still up for debate.”
His original tactic of claiming to be merely an advisor, not a decision maker, which absolves him of any responsibility, appears to still be his primary strategy.
Last year, he told the New York Times:
“Show me a school you've closed and show me a factory you've closed. Never. I've never done that. I made a public health recommendation that echoed the CDC recommendation, and people made a decision based on that.”
Congressman Cloud said of Mr. Fauci that he demonstrated:
“…an amazing ability to either forget what happened or find ways to evade any kind of responsibility for the influence that was there.”
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The congressman went on to say of individuals like Mr. Fauci:
“They wash their hands of any kind of responsibility, saying, ‘Oh, those decisions were made by the school districts.’”
Decisions based on for him Recommendations, because what the federal government specifically recommends regarding health, safety, and education, public and education officials know He should Pay attention or risk opening themselves up to costly lawsuits.
What does the data say?
It would be surprising if someone who claims to be a man of science would ignore empirical data. Data since the onset of the pandemic clearly shows that the recommendations made by Dr. Fauci, and by extension the federal government, have had a significant negative impact on American students.
Math and reading scores for 13-year-olds, who to non-parents are considered eighth graders, have fallen to the lowest point in decades. If that's not enough evidence, the Program for International Student Assessments reported that math scores for 15-year-old students (freshmen/sophomores) declined compared to pre-pandemic tests.
The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) released a report stating that it will take the average student an additional four to five months of school to immerse themselves in math and reading. NWEA principal researcher Chase Nordengren said it will take decades for the American student body to catch up.
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They are more than just tests
While it is sad enough that America's most vulnerable and most resilient people to the coronavirus have been some of the people most negatively affected by the policies pushed by Mr. Fauci, the second, third, and fourth order of impacts are much worse. Even the New York Times has changed its tune on school closures, recently admitting in an article:
“The school closures that took 50 million children out of the classroom at the start of the pandemic may be the most damaging disruption in the history of American education.”
Not only are these children falling behind on every test and in every subject, but their future is less bright than before. Economists predict that school-age children in America today will be subject to a 6% earnings tax for life.
As if this isn't depressing enough, it gets even worse when we compare a lifetime income tax of 6% for an entire generation of Americans to the US economy as a whole. It is estimated that the US economy will feel a future economic loss of $28 trillion due to the decline in workforce skill when these children graduate from high school.
This number can be difficult to understand, so let me put it in perspective. The economic fallout from business closures due to the coronavirus is approximately $2 trillion, and the economic fallout from the “Great Recession” of 2008 has been reported at approximately $5 trillion.
Finally, $28 trillion is equivalent to about one year of GDP – everything that is manufactured in this country in one year.
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For discussion
Anthony Fauci is technically right that the learning loss caused by his ill-advised recommendations is still being debated. It is not clear how much worse the nation suffered thanks to the unwavering trust placed by the federal government in the words of one man.
America's future doctors, scientists, teachers, architects, dentists, lawyers, electricians, and leaders will come from the lost COVID-19 generation. One day, your eyes will be examined by an ophthalmologist who spent his formative educational years cooped up at home with below-average test scores.
Not a welcome thought, certainly, but one we should never forget. It is extremely important that these unelected and undeserving overlords who make influential gains are held accountable for their actions.
Finally, parents should not wait for the federal or state governments to solve the problem of learning loss. If the coronavirus has taught us anything, it's that the government doesn't know how to best manage children and education.
Take charge of your child's education; It will be worth it, and it is not only your birthright as a parent, but your solemn duty.
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