Opción B - 4 · Inglés PAU Castilla y León Extraordinaria (Fase Mejora de Nota) 2022

OPTION B

VANISHING ACT

A large number of pupils have gone missing during the epidemic. How worrying is this?

Analyses are limited, but a deep dive into preliminary data from Massachusetts' public schools by

Thomas Dee of Stanford University and Mark Murphy of the University of Hawaii shows that most

traditional public districts in the state had enrolment declines this year in comparison with last year.

5 Massachusetts experienced a 4% statewide loss in this academic year compared with the year before. Not

all districts lost pupils, however; vocational and virtual districts saw increases.

Some of the decline is no cause for concern. A portion of Massachusetts public-school pupils are

probably attending classes out of state, while others are leaving for private schools or homeschooling.

Other pupils are simply missing school, however. Mr Dee and Mr Murphy found that enrolment

10 decreases were associated with smaller, whiter and poorer school districts, mostly in rural areas.

That echoes a concern heard beyond Massachusetts. David Monaco, head of Parish Episcopal

School, a private school in Dallas, saw some pupils leave for more personalised small-group or individual

schooling, though his overall enrolment remains steady. By contrast, Michael Hinojosa, the

superintendent of Dallas Independent School District, where 85% of all pupils are classified as low-

15 income, explained that while some of his pupils could be sitting at home playing video games, others are

taking care of younger siblings while their parents work.

Pupils missing school are not just a worry for their families. Since America's schools are funded

on a per-person basis, the decline in enrolments also creates financial problems. And all schools risk

losing funding next year if enrolment continues to fall.

20 Getting missing pupils back to school takes an extraordinary effort. Sara Bonser, superintendent

of the Piano Independent School District north of Dallas, lost 6.5% of her pupils (3,883) at the beginning

of the year. To find these children, her staff called thousands of families and conducted 115 home visits to

get 1,279 pupils back on the books. Existing district funds were reallocated so no additional money was

needed for the programme. (Fragment adapted from The Economist.)

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