(Just The News)—An annual federal report card shows California student performance for reading and math has declined in three of four measured metrics over the past two years despite significant increases in public school spending.
The state’s one bright spot was in fourth grade math, in which students had nearly recovered to 2019 pre-pandemic levels. While state reading scores for eighth grade reading had recovered to 2019 levels in 2022, they declined below 2019 levels in 2024, reflecting the state’s ongoing education challenges.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed $24,746 in spending per student includes growth in Proposition 98 school funding to $119 billion, a figure that his office says is “a nearly 51% increase since the Governor took office” in January 2019.
The national report card from the federal National Assessment of Education Progress provides state level data, and data from a limited number of school districts. The annual report includes four metrics: fourth and eighth grade math and reading.
The report separates academic achievement into below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced, with basic reflecting only partial competence in grade-level material that students should have mastery over to be considered proficient.
California lags the national average in all four categories, but variations in outcomes within California remain stark. At the California district level, NAEP 2024 data includes only Los Angeles and San Diego school districts, which are among the largest school districts in the nation.
San Diego Unified outperformed the national average in all four categories, while Los Angeles Unified performed worse than the national, state, and big city average in all four categories.
In 2024, 65% of California fourth grade students were below proficient in math, and 72% below proficient in reading. 73% of California eighth grade students were below proficient in math, and 72% were below proficient in reading.
In 2023-2024 school year internal state testing, 47% of students met or exceeded basic state reading standards, while 35.5% met or exceeded basic state math standards.
Why One Survival Food Company Shines Above the Rest
Let’s be real. “Prepper Food” or “Survival Food” is generally awful. The vast majority of companies that push their cans, bags, or buckets desperately hope that their customers never try them and stick them in the closet or pantry instead. Why? Because if the first time they try them is after the crap hits the fan, they’ll be too shaken to call and complain about the quality.
It’s true. Most long-term storage food is made with the cheapest possible ingredients with limited taste and even less nutritional value. This is why they tout calories so much. Sure, they provide calories but does anyone really want to go into the apocalypse with food their family can’t stand?
This is what prompted the Llewellyns to launch Heaven’s Harvest. They bought survival food from multiple companies and determined they couldn’t imagine being stuck in an extended emergency with such low-quality food. They quickly discovered that freeze drying food for long-term storage doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor, consistency, or nutrition.
Their ingredients are all-American. In fact, they’re locally sourced and all-natural! This allows their products to be the highest quality on the market, so good that their customers often break open a bag in a pinch to eat because they want to, not just because they have to due to an emergency.
At Heaven’s Harvest, their only focus is amazing food. They don’t sell bugout bags, solar chargers, or multitools. They have one mission – feeding Americans in times of crisis.
What they DO offer is the ability for people to thrive in times of greatest need. On top of long-term storage food, they offer seeds to help Americans for the truly long-term. They want them to grow their own food if possible which is why they offer only Heirloom, Non-GMO, Non-Hybrid, Open-Pollinated seeds so their customers can build permanent food security on their own property.
