Schools have closed around the country, leaving many parents concerned about their child’s education.
Nearly every school in the nation has opted to close to stop the spread of the coronavirus. According to a poll released Tuesday by Gallup, 42% of parents are worried the decision could stunt their child’s education, including 15% who are “very concerned.” One-third of respondents reported that they are “not too concerned” about the situation negatively affecting their child’s education while 26% are “not concerned at all.”
Concern about a negative effect on students was more prevalent in parents who identified as Democrats rather than Republicans, with 49% concerned and 33% worried, respectively. Fifty-nine percent of nonwhite parents expressed concern about the situation, while 36% of white parents felt the same way.
Schools across the nation have chosen different options for educating children during the pandemic. Parents reported that 70% of children are participating in online distance learning options. Twenty-six percent said they are homeschooling with a curriculum they created, while 16% reported that their child is undergoing free online learning that is not associated with their normal school. Some parents reported multiple methods of educating their child.
Although many parents are concerned about their child’s education during the pandemic, very few reported that they want the school year extended into the summer. Twenty-seven percent of parents feel that schools should stretch into the summer. Just 2% want the school year to end at its regular date, but believe that students should repeat the grade next year.
As for parents who do not want the school year to bleed into summer, 48% believe students should end the year on the scheduled date and graduate to the next grade level as long as all distance learning requirements were met. Twenty-two percent said students should graduate to the next grade level even if the students did not complete the assigned coursework.
The poll from Gallup included results from 1,870 adults living in the United States who had at least one child in kindergarten through 12th grade. The poll was conducted from March 24-29 and had a margin of error of five percentage points.
