Derek Thompson

It's like the author had an idea, and they put their idea, their little brain movie, into letters. And now my eyes are scanning the letters and I have to build in my own inner brain movie an idea drawn from those letters. It's up to me to bring that film of the inner mind to life. And in that way, reading really is a different kind of co-creation, I think.

It's like the author had an idea, and they put their idea, their little brain movie, into letters. And now my eyes are scanning the letters and I have to build in my own inner brain movie an idea drawn from those letters. It's up to me to bring that film of the inner mind to life. And in that way, reading really is a different kind of co-creation, I think.

It's like the author had an idea, and they put their idea, their little brain movie, into letters. And now my eyes are scanning the letters and I have to build in my own inner brain movie an idea drawn from those letters. It's up to me to bring that film of the inner mind to life. And in that way, reading really is a different kind of co-creation, I think.

And I feel like if we lose that level of concentration and that ability to co-create complex ideas, I mean, I know I'm high, high, high on a soapbox right now, but I really do think there's something quite profound that's lost if our teachers and our schools determine that this kind of patient thoughtfulness isn't valued anymore.

And I feel like if we lose that level of concentration and that ability to co-create complex ideas, I mean, I know I'm high, high, high on a soapbox right now, but I really do think there's something quite profound that's lost if our teachers and our schools determine that this kind of patient thoughtfulness isn't valued anymore.

And I feel like if we lose that level of concentration and that ability to co-create complex ideas, I mean, I know I'm high, high, high on a soapbox right now, but I really do think there's something quite profound that's lost if our teachers and our schools determine that this kind of patient thoughtfulness isn't valued anymore.

Many thanks to Rose Horwich of The Atlantic. Next up, we broaden our analysis because, of course, it is lurid and fascinating to realize that students at some of America's most prestigious colleges and universities cannot read entire books, or I suppose in some extreme cases, cannot hold their attention through the end of a single sonnet.

Many thanks to Rose Horwich of The Atlantic. Next up, we broaden our analysis because, of course, it is lurid and fascinating to realize that students at some of America's most prestigious colleges and universities cannot read entire books, or I suppose in some extreme cases, cannot hold their attention through the end of a single sonnet.

Many thanks to Rose Horwich of The Atlantic. Next up, we broaden our analysis because, of course, it is lurid and fascinating to realize that students at some of America's most prestigious colleges and universities cannot read entire books, or I suppose in some extreme cases, cannot hold their attention through the end of a single sonnet.

But elite college students are, by definition, a elite, small sliver of the total population of students. So what's happening? to literacy and reading for that total population of students. Here we turn to Nat Malkus of the American Enterprise Institute, who studies education policy in the US.

But elite college students are, by definition, a elite, small sliver of the total population of students. So what's happening? to literacy and reading for that total population of students. Here we turn to Nat Malkus of the American Enterprise Institute, who studies education policy in the US.

But elite college students are, by definition, a elite, small sliver of the total population of students. So what's happening? to literacy and reading for that total population of students. Here we turn to Nat Malkus of the American Enterprise Institute, who studies education policy in the US.

And he's recently published a report on reading and literacy scores of students nationwide in fourth and eighth grades. During the pandemic, there was a lot of attention paid to so-called COVID learning loss. But as Nat explains and has explained in this show before, COVID masked or accentuated a deeper decline in student achievement that goes back at least 10 years.

And he's recently published a report on reading and literacy scores of students nationwide in fourth and eighth grades. During the pandemic, there was a lot of attention paid to so-called COVID learning loss. But as Nat explains and has explained in this show before, COVID masked or accentuated a deeper decline in student achievement that goes back at least 10 years.

And he's recently published a report on reading and literacy scores of students nationwide in fourth and eighth grades. During the pandemic, there was a lot of attention paid to so-called COVID learning loss. But as Nat explains and has explained in this show before, COVID masked or accentuated a deeper decline in student achievement that goes back at least 10 years.

And this decline is particularly sharp in reading. To explain why this phenomenon isn't just about elite college students, but rather about our middle schoolers as well, We welcome Nat. Nat Malkus, welcome back to the show. Glad to be here. So student test scores in reading and also in subjects like math seem to have peaked around 2013, but they've been declining now for more than a decade.

And this decline is particularly sharp in reading. To explain why this phenomenon isn't just about elite college students, but rather about our middle schoolers as well, We welcome Nat. Nat Malkus, welcome back to the show. Glad to be here. So student test scores in reading and also in subjects like math seem to have peaked around 2013, but they've been declining now for more than a decade.

And this decline is particularly sharp in reading. To explain why this phenomenon isn't just about elite college students, but rather about our middle schoolers as well, We welcome Nat. Nat Malkus, welcome back to the show. Glad to be here. So student test scores in reading and also in subjects like math seem to have peaked around 2013, but they've been declining now for more than a decade.

And this is a trend that goes beyond the pandemic, beyond issues about COVID learning loss. Just start us off with the big picture. What's going on here with student reading scores?

And this is a trend that goes beyond the pandemic, beyond issues about COVID learning loss. Just start us off with the big picture. What's going on here with student reading scores?