The entirely expected recent data on COVID-19 learning losses should not be allowed to paper over more fundamental education problems. Release of the long-term NAEP test scores last month confirmed what we already knew from earlier NAEP releases: that achievement test scores plummeted across the country after COVID-related school closures in early 2020.

But virtually no attention has been paid to the fact that there were major NAEP losses —heavily skewed against disadvantaged students — well before the COVID shutdowns.