BATON ROUGE— Pelican Institute CEO Daniel Erspamer released the following statement after the Dr. Cade Brumley announced the Louisiana Department of Education’s plan to combat learning loss after the 2021 school year:

“Recent testing data made clear what many have guessed: our school children are behind, and we have work to do to get them back on track. That’s why we applaud Superintendent Brumley and the Louisiana Department of Education team for these efforts to write the comeback story for Louisiana’s kids. In particular, it’s encouraging to see a priority placed on detailed transparency for these unprecedented levels of spending.

“Pre-pandemic status quo should not be the goal. Education outcomes in Louisiana lagged behind the rest of the country long before COVID-19. Now is the time for bold action, high expectations, and clear accountability to ensure every child in Louisiana has an opportunity to attend a school that fits him or her. The state’s objective in deploying billions of one-time federal dollars should be clear: establish Louisiana as a worldwide leader in student outcomes, innovation, and parental choice. Today’s announcement is a hopeful step forward, and we encourage all our state’s education leaders to cast and achieve a big vision for our kids.”

###