The deep academic regression American students suffered during the coronavirus pandemic has at last turned a corner, new data show, as scores in reading and math stopped falling last year and began to gain ground.

After dropping for three years running, the increases recorded in testing last spring marked welcome news. Still, for most of the country, scores remain lower than they were before the pandemic struck, and it was unclear if or when students would fully rebound.

Those were the conclusions of a new report released this week by researchers at Harvard and Stanford universities who have been tracking annual test data from 30 states.

“Many schools made strong gains last year, but most districts are still working hard just to reach pre-pandemic achievement levels,” said Thomas Kane, faculty director of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University and co-author of the new report.

The report also urged school districts to spend whatever money is left from federal coronavirus relief funds on programs to help recovery continue this summer and into next school year. Schools have until September to spend the money, which totaled $190 billion, with no plans to renew what has been a significant injection of support for American education.

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