The response to the COVID-19 pandemic upended the US K-12 education system, exacerbated pre-existing challenges around student achievement, and created new obstacles to delivering high-quality learning for all students. Concerns for the US education system were increasing prior to the pandemic as academic achievement and school reforms struggled to keep pace with the evolving demands of the 21st century. School disruptions during the pandemic enervated the US education system, highlighted inequities, and intensified deficiencies leading to a new level of national education crisis which is becoming more and more evident in recent national assessments of achievement. This Solutions Brief examines the impact of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic on the US K-12 education system. It reviews the historic investment by Congress to restore schools and identifies promising practice examples that offer hope for student success. The Brief also proposes a series of recommendations that includes utilizing advances in technology and the extraordinary federal funding for K-12 education in states to enhance learning recovery and repair systemic issues to ensure all children can progress in educational attainment and are equipped to succeed as productive, engaged citizens.