Like so many other things, I see this often in the op-ed-osphere and r/teachers, but have a hard time determining how much is doomerism/alarmism, and how much is quantifiable/credible worsening. There are few topics where one can't find a slurry of opeds lamenting the erosion of the youth, the commons, and the world at large, complete with questionably narrow and nuanceless visualizations.

I am torn between two reactions: 1. This seems like a real trend but damn, so much dramatization derived mostly from anecdotes. 2. But holy crap, there sure are a lottttt of anecdotes, and they're consistent in direction and outlook.

So who are some trustworthy authorities on this topic? Where's a good place to get a neutral take (both politically and emotionally) on these trends? Who's the 538-circa-2015 of educational stats?

For HN users in the education world, is there broad consensus among your peers that this is a catastrophe? Is it recoverable? Is it reversing or improving in any areas? How's the latest cohort (eg 2nd graders) doing compared to genz at the same stage?

In other words, can someone with more context suggest how much, if at all, to be existentially worried about this?