If you think America’s schools fell into decline solely as a consequence of 2020’s pandemic and a year of alternate instruction models, guess again. Hoover Institution fellow and leading scholar on the economics of education, Eric Hanushek, discusses misperceptions in the Covid-education debate (learning and achievement were in decline years before the pandemic struck), why education reform remains elusive despite decades of talk and treasure, a few sleeper concerns (long-term absenteeism), lessons to be learned from learning and teaching innovations in Dallas and Mississippi, plus the future impact of learning loss on earning power and America’s GDP. Download the research that was mentioned in this episode: - A Nation at Risk +40: https://www.hoover.org/nation-risk-40-review-progress-us-public-education?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mpp_youtube&utm_content=12052025 - Education Futures Council: https://www.hoover.org/press/education-futures-council-unveils-report-ours-solve-once-and-for-all?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mpp_youtube&utm_content=12052025 - The Pandemic in Perspective: US Learning Losses in the Twenty-First Century: https://www.hoover.org/research/pandemic-perspective-us-learning-losses-twenty-first-century?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mpp_youtube&utm_content=12052025 ABOUT THE PODCAST Matters of Policy & Politics will examine the direction of federal, state, and local leadership and elections, with an occasional examination of national security and geopolitical concerns, all featuring insightful analysis provided by Hoover Institution scholars and guests. For more information on this series, visit: https://www.hoover.org/publications/matters-of-policy-and-politics?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=mpp_youtube&utm_content=12052025 __________ The opinions expressed on this channel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University. © 2025 by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University. 🔔 Subscribe for more discussions: @HooverInstitution 👍 Like and share this video! 🌐 Follow us on social media: • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HooverInstStanford • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hoover-institution-at-stanford-university • Instagram: https://instagram.com/hooverinstitution • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hooverinstitution • X: https://www.twitter.com/HooverInst