Are kids falling behind in school due to pandemic? Most WA parents think so, poll says

The coronavirus pandemic has forced us to do things from home that we’ve never had to try before, and one of the bigger challenges falls on the shoulders of parents who have to take a more active role in educating their children as they learn remotely.

But according to a new poll, not all parents struggle equally.

The vast majority of Washington parents polled by Global Strategy Group said they felt their child is falling behind in school as they continue to learn from home during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the poll sponsored by The Education Trust.

Of 881 parents polled between April 13 and 24, nearly 9 out 10 (86%) are concerned about their kids’ education, the Spokesman Review reported.

Along with that, the poll also found that 3 in 4 (76%) public school parents felt higher levels of stress than usual, according to The Education Trust.

Two groups felt more stress most commonly — parents of kids with disabilities (54%) and families earning less than $50,000 annually (47%), the poll said.

While parents are concerned about their child’s education overall, most gave positive ratings to their schools for handling the coronavirus transition to remote learning (81%), according to The Education Trust.

The overwhelming majority of parents wanted regular contact with or access to their child’s teacher, but different demographics reported varying levels of access to educators, Seattle Medium reported.

White parents, parents who primarily speak English at home and parents of students without disabilities were fairly satisfied with the amount of regular contact they have with teachers (60%), according to the poll.

But only about 50% of Black and Latino parents and parents whose students have disabilities or speak a language other than English at home say they’re getting the same support from educators, The Education Trust said.

“Our survey reveals that in Washington, this health crisis continues to exacerbate longstanding education equity challenges, including access to technology, academic support and resources for students of color and students from lower-income communities,” Ary Amerikaner, vice president for P-12 policy, practice and research for The Education Trust, said in a news release.

“Our polling data shows that in Washington, some children are receiving resources while others are not. State and district leaders must ensure that educators and school leaders have the resources they need now to educate students during this pandemic and that they step up planning to accelerate student learning when children once again enter the school building.”

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 3:57 PM with the headline "Are kids falling behind in school due to pandemic? Most WA parents think so, poll says."