Northern Michigan has continually seen a decline in school-aged children. But, during the pandemic, that trend became more prominent. Tareena Mussadiq, Institute of Education Sciences postdoctoral fellow with the Education Policy Initiative, broke down the data for the Traverse City Record Eagle.
“But right when the pandemic hits, we see the decline being even sharper, and it continues to be that way in the second year of the pandemic as well,” she said. “Which means that it’s not just population declining. It’s something to do with the pandemic as well.”