For years, Minnesotans have laughingly recited the mantra of Lake Wobegon, the fictitious town located on the Minnesotan prairie. In Lake Wobegon, it is said, “All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.”
And let’s be honest, even though we know Lake Wobegon is a fake town, we all secretly believe that its mantra is true and that Minnesota and its residents are truly special and a notch above.
Unfortunately, data is starting to call those beliefs into question, especially when it comes to Minnesota’s kids. Take a look at the state’s reading achievement levels for eighth graders. The 2022 results show that only 29.7% of eighth graders can read at or above proficiency. That means 70.3% of Minnesota’s eighth grade students cannot.
That number becomes even more horrifying when we check out the numbers from a decade ago. In 2013, 40.6% of Minnesota’s eighth graders were reaching reading proficiency. In other words, reading proficiency is 10 percentage points lower roughly 10 years later. Continue at the same rate, and it’s likely only 20% of Minnesota’s eighth graders will be proficient by 2033.
“But surely it’s not that bad!” you might say. “All students are struggling. Minnesota’s students are likely still performing above the national average, aren’t they?
Not necessarily. In 2022, 31% of eighth graders nationwide were proficient at reading. Certainly not good, but still admittedly better than Minnesota. And the national drop has been far less in the last 10 years, going from 36% in 2013 to 31% in 2022.
So what gives? Clearly we’re doing something wrong, because in Minnesota, the women may still be strong and the men good looking … but believe me, the numbers show that the kids are no longer above average.
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Image Credit: Pxfuel
