According to the Nation’s Report Card, only four states scored lower than West Virginia in 2024 for grade level 4 academic achievements. (Maskot via Getty Images)
“West Virginia is in trouble with its academic standing. This situation can be improved by focusing on a comprehensive effort that addresses both a child’s emotional and academic needs. Student well-being influences grades, and learning programs that teach our children perseverance and responsibility are beneficial.
They learn how to trust their sixth sense, believe in themselves, and, most importantly, care for their classmates.” — Pam McNall, the CEO and founder of Respectful Ways
Several studies have been released that have criticized West Virginia’s K-12 schools, as well as our national education system. One comprehensive report found that West Virginia performed poorly in math, reading, writing, and science when compared to national standards.
In 2024, only four states had lower grade level 4 academic achievement scores. Twenty-eight percent of West Virginia students did not meet basic proficiency levels.
Prior to the pandemic, overall scores were relatively consistent, with only three states scoring lower than West Virginia.
However, as a direct result of the COVID pandemic, West Virginia’s fourth grade reading score dropped 8% between 2019 and 2024. That put it in the bottom one-third of states with the greatest drop in reading scores.
A dozen other states performed even worse, with Maine dropping nearly 12% in just five years. Between 2019 and 2024, only two states improved their reading scores: Alabama (2%), and Louisiana (6%).
We should not simply blame our teachers. Many of my relatives are underpaid public school teachers, some of whom work in low-performing schools. These highly motivated educators work long hours and earn far less than they could in the private sector.
They are in this profession because they are committed to bettering the lives of the children they teach. They are driven to help students succeed academically and build a better life.
Regardless of political affiliation, the situation in West Virginia’s K-12 schools is extremely troubling. The bad news is that this is a long-term issue that cannot be fixed overnight. In this day and age of cellphones and the internet, our students are experiencing difficult behavioral issues, which leads to poor academic performance.
The good news is that there are tried-and-true methods for turning things around and improving the state’s K–12 schools. We must prioritize the social and emotional aspects of the problem, making our children feel better about themselves and their academic environment.
Students in today’s electronic age struggle to distinguish between what is real and what is imaginary. They are experiencing sensory overload due to the amount of information they are hearing and seeing. As a first step, our schools must teach students how to empathize with others—the key to humanity.
If a fellow student is having difficulties, assist him or her rather than laughing derisively, pointing fingers, and then recording the humiliating incident on your cellphone to immediately post on TikTok. Our children must understand the difference between right and wrong and be motivated to do the right thing for themselves and others.
Respectful Ways, a digital, trauma-informed, social emotional learning (SEL) program, suggests starting with four strategies for students:
- Monotask — Focusing on one task at a time.
- Design your environment — Eliminating distractions wherever possible.
- Clarify tasks — Breaking them into specific steps.
- Recover quickly — Accepting slips, resetting, and moving forward.
Yes, our country is going through difficult times. Many of our basic institutions are being attacked. All the more reason to implement programs in our K-12 school systems that teach emotional and social education techniques.
We must help our students succeed and gain control of their lives by giving them the tools they need to swim against the strong tides that would otherwise overwhelm them. By doing so, we will give them the tools they need to deal with the academic side of the situation.
