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Math and reading scores for U.S. high school seniors are plummeting, according to new federal data released on Tuesday. Reading skills in particular have suffered, with test results dropping to their lowest scores since the assessments first began in 1992. According to the new data, 32% of 12th grade students performed below the assessments basic reading achievement level, which measures whether students can find relevant details within text and come away with a literal understanding of what they read. In 1992, the portion of 12th grade students falling below that basic measure of reading comprehension was 20%. Only 35% of 12th graders demonstrated a proficient level of reading skill, meaning that they could connect key points across reading samples and make more sophisticated inferences about tone, word choice, and themes. In 2024, the portion of students who demonstrated proficient reading skills dropped by 2% compared with 2019, and 5% compared with the tests 1992 baseline scores. The new test data on high school seniors was collected in 2024, making it the first set of scores to be published after the educational disruptions that students experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data is part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a federal testing program also known as the Nations Report Card. Fourth grade and eighth grade students are given the assessments every two years, while 12th grade students are evaluated every four years. High school seniors also performed worse in math, achieving the lowest scores since the math assessment began in 2005. Only a third of seniors performed at a level that showed they were academically ready for college, down from 37% in 2019. These results are sobering, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) acting commissioner Matthew Soldner said. The drop in overall scores coincides with significant declines in achievement among our lowest-performing students, continuing a downward trend that began even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Unprecedented setbacks The latest scores for high school seniors show that all is not well in the American educational system. Test scores have been sliding for more than a decade, a trend made worse by disruptions to schooling during the pandemic. The new score data, published for the first time since 2020, shows that pandemic-linked performance losses for students arent fading away as time passes, like many had hoped. That trend is backed by this years assessment of 8th graders, whose reading scores fell even further in 2024, deepening a steep drop-off in scores observed from 2019 to 2022. Reading scores began dropping prior to the pandemic, but researchers and educators are still trying to make sense of why. How time spent on screens influences children is a complex issue and can trend positive or negative, depending on how much time they spend and what theyre doing. Some research has shown that deeper reading comprehension is worse when kids read on screens, but rolling back the digital revolution in the classroom isnt likely to emerge as a one-size-fits-all solution. In the U.S., adults are consuming digital media more and reading for pleasure less than ever. The way adults consume information has changed radically in recent decades, with the emergence of algorithm-driven social media, the rise of information disseminated via short-form video, and the continued deterioration of news sources. Beyond the classroom, all of those changes will continue to influence young learnerswho are plunged into a fast-paced, unpredictable digital information ecosystem, often as early as age 8. With AI now in the mix, students are doing their best to navigate a complex world filled with potent new tools that are already upending life for many adults.
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E-Commerce
Linda Yaccarinos departure as CEO of X on July 9 caught many by surprise. While reportedly in the works for weeks, the absence of leaks and the timing of her announcementone day after Xs AI chatbot Grok made antisemitic comments referencing Hitler during a prompt about Texas floodingsparked heavy online chatter. Two months later, that chatter has faded, but the executive office remains vacant, with no signs of being filled soon. (Yaccarino, meanwhile, has since taken over as chief executive of eMed Population Health, a digital health company developing a platform for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.) X declined to comment on the CEO search, and Elon Musk has only weighed in once, thanking Yaccarino for her contributions on the day she stepped down. If his past remarks are any guide, hes in no hurry. CEO is fake title. You need a president, a controller and a secretary for a C Corp, but all the chief [whatever] officer stuff is superfluous, Musk wrote on X two years ago. That echoed comments from 2021 at The Wall Street Journals CEO Council Summit, when he said president, secretary and treasurer were the only meaningful corporate titles. (To underline the point, his title at Tesla is technoking.) On prediction market Polymarket, bettors arent expecting an announcement anytime soon: 51% dont think a decision will come this year, up from 22% the day after Yaccarino left. The current frontrunner is serial entrepreneur Nikita Bier, with 19% betting hell get the job. Bier, who joined Xs product team as Yaccarino departed, has pushed for useful content and a crackdown on AI slop, which he says have boosted App Store downloads. Musk himself is second on Polymarket with 10% odds, likely reflecting the assumption hell remain the final decision maker regardless of who holds the CEO title. Other names have low odds, including White House AI policy advisor Sriram Krishnan, X CFO Mahmoud Reza Banki, and Grok itself, each at 4%. Longshot candidates include MrBeast, Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, and Sheryl Sandberg. Time will tell if the next CEO makes it past Yaccarinos two-year run.
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E-Commerce
Ford is recalling almost 1.5 million vehicles in the United States because the rear view camera may show a blank or distorted image on the center display screen while the vehicle is in reverse, which can reduce or distort the driver’s view of what’s behind the car and increase the risk of a crash. The recall includes certain vehicles from model years 2015 to 2019 of the Lincoln Navigator, Lincoln MKC, Mustang, Ranger, Transit, Transit Connect, Econoline, Edge, Expedition, F-250 SD, F-350 SD, F-450 SD and F-550 SD. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday in its safety recall report that Ford is aware of 18 accidents and no injuries related to the camera issue. The agency said that vehicle owners will be notified by mail and instructed to take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have the rear view camera inspected and replaced, if necessary. There will be no charge for the service.
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E-Commerce
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