New Data Confirms Emotional Toll of Virtual Learning

There has been much conversation over the past year about the impact that virtual learning has had on children and families. The ways that virtual learning has been used during the pandemic have varied -- sometimes abruptly -- as school systems and families have reacted to infection rates, clusters of outbreaks, and the availability of vaccinations for faculty and staff. But almost all students have faced reduced class time and many have dealt with the unavailability of effective online learning as well, when families lack computers or efficient high speed internet connections.

A new study released by the CDC has examined the impact of virtual learning on the mental health and well-being of children aged 5-12 by looking at almost 1300 families. Of those families, approximately 46% had children receiving only virtual instruction. Another 31% received in-person instruction and approximately 23% received hybrid instruction, both virtual and in-person.

The study looked at 17 indicators of child mental health and found that children who were getting virtual instruction scored worse on 11 of the 17 mental health indicators. In addition, children learning virtually full or part time spent less time outdoors, spent less time with friends (both in person and online), and reported decreased physical activity. And it wasn't only the children who were affected by virtual learning. The study noted,

"Parents of children receiving virtual instruction more frequently reported their own emotional distress, difficulty sleeping, loss of work, concern about job stability, child care challenges, and conflict between working and providing child care than did parents whose children were receiving in-person instruction."  

None of the statistical findings of the CDC study will come as a surprise. Hopefully, with increased vaccination of teachers and school staff and lower Covid rates as more of the general population gets vaccinated, in person instruction will increase and families and schools can turn to addressing the academic and emotional challenges that have affected children and families during the past year. Making up for the impact of the pandemic will not be easy.

 

Snow Days and Learning

It has been a brutal winter in the eastern part of the country, and municipalities and individuals throughout the region are quickly  running out of road salt, scheduled snow days, and patience. We can't do much about the problems with road salt or make spring come any sooner -- but we can shed some light on the issue of snow days.

A recent article in Education Week cites a 2012 study from Harvard University that examined the impact of snow days on student test scores and found that having snow days, when school was closed, did not have a negative impact on students' test scores. What was a problem, noted the author of this study, was when schools were open but a large number of students stayed home. The study author suggested that getting all students "back on the same page" was more disruptive to learning than just missing a day or two of instruction. The results in the Harvard study counter those of a 2008 study of Maryland schools which found that unscheduled closings for snow or other reasons had a negative impact on student test scores, when contrasted to years in which there were no such closings.

Some school districts are avoiding the snow day issue all together, especially for courses like AP classes, where a year end test will cover a set curriculum, regardless of whether the instructor was able to get to all the material. Districts are holding virtual classes and teachers are informally posting material online so that students can continue to make progress despite school closures. A New York Times article from last week noted that New York State does not permit school districts to use virtual school days in place of actual days when calculating the number of days students must attend class each year. Furthermore, in school districts elsewhere where virtual learning is used (some of which began during long term Superstorm Sandy closures), making sure all students have access to computers and internet connections is a key consideration. Still, in an era when many adults are able to work from home remotely when weather is a problem, it may be time for schools to catch up with the workplace.