Some 33% of eighth graders in the U.S. have ‘below basic’ reading levels. Some researchers say it’s time to reconsider the role of phones in their lives.

Despite this progress, students remain behind pre-pandemic levels, lagging by about the same amount as they made up — half a grade level in math and a quarter in reading on average.

Students in New York continue to lag behind levels they achieved in reading and math before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new nationwide assessment tests results.