Along with an educated and skilled workforce, innovation has always been at the core of the nation\u2019s economic competitiveness. Yet effective innovations are lacking in the field of education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
American education lags far behind that of other countries, especially in STEM, with the United States ranking 30th in math<\/a>. Learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened American students\u2019 academic outcomes<\/a> and widened gaps along racial<\/a> and socioeconomic<\/a> lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the seed of a bold new approach to K-12 research and development is buried within the thousands of pages of the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations<\/a> recently passed by Congress: a foothold to establish a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency \u2014 DARPA \u2014 for education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. <\/em>Sign up for The 74 Newsletter<\/strong><\/a><\/p> In short, the massive package directs the Institute of Education Sciences<\/a> to pilot a DARPA-like program \u201cto support a new funding opportunity for quick-turnaround, high-reward scalable solutions intended to significantly improve outcomes for students.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal is to help address the massive COVID-19 learning disruptions<\/a> experienced by schools and the longstanding achievement gaps impacting some of the nation\u2019s most vulnerable students, through applied research and development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But the pilot of a DARPA for education should only be a start. After all, learning loss is hurting our economy. According to a report<\/a> from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, a loss of one-third of a year of learning translates into an economic downturn of $14.2 trillion. Given that the pandemic resulted in American students losing an average of five months of math and four months of reading<\/a>, the nation can expect an even more significant decrease in gross domestic product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The omnibus bill\u2019s provision was inspired by the highly successful defense program that led to innovations in advanced robotics, GPS and the Internet. Championed by the Alliance for Learning Innovation<\/a> and policymakers like former House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, a full DARPA program would spur the development of groundbreaking solutions to address longstanding deficits and inequities in the education system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the investments would support breakthroughs in non-technical approaches, like innovative learning models such as different forms of tutoring. Others would leverage advances in computer science to help create more efficient, reliable and valid ways to measure student learning. Other ideas include <\/strong>the development of voice recognition software, like Siri, to assess kindergartners\u2019 literacy readiness and eye movement recognition software to detect dyslexia in young children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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