Poll: K-12 Parents report dramatically different remote learning experiences, engagement levels with schools
Parents give schools good marks overall, but technology access and language barriers hinder large numbers of students
Massachusetts’ K-12 parents experienced very different engagement levels from schools and teachers, with some reporting daily online classrooms and check-ins, while others said their child was mostly not connected to regular school activities. Parent satisfaction with school performance during the unprecedented remote learning period is closely related to the amount of interaction students had with their teachers, either in an online classroom, getting personalized feedback, or one-on-one check-ins. Technology access and language barriers were some of the major challenges parents faced while navigating the challenge of remote learning.
Those are some of the key findings from a new statewide poll of K-12 parents by The MassINC Polling Group, conducted June 4-19. Findings from this poll on questions of reopening were reported separately last week, as the Baker administration announced its plans for the fall. The poll was sponsored by The Boston Foundation and The Barr Foundation, and was developed with input from The Education Trust.
Online classrooms were the most common form of interaction, with 36% reporting daily participation, and another 35% saying their child participated at least a few times a week. Personalized feedback was less common (20% every day), and one-on-one check-ins (13%) were the least frequent form of interaction (see table).
Language barriers hindered participation in all three. Just 54% of parents who did not speak English at home said their children participated in online classrooms at least a few times a week, compared to 72% of English-speaking households. Similar gaps existed for one-on-one check-ins (27% vs 39%) and for personalized feedback (35% vs 54%). Many parents (28%) in non-English-speaking households said their school / district did not offer multilingual communication and another 20% were unsure.
Technology barriers were another major limitation. Among parents with household incomes under $50,000, 17% said they did not have good enough internet to keep us on school and work tasks and 24% reported insufficient devices. Technology burdens were more likely to be present among lower-income Black, Latino, and Asian parents.
“There aren’t a lot of official statistics on the remote learning experiment that families just went through,” said Steve Koczela, President of The MassINC Polling Group. “With this poll, we set out to document in as many ways as we could how Massachusetts school and families coped with a truly unprecedented situation, and what they want to see going forward.”
A majority (57%) of parents say that remote learning has taken a negative emotional toll on their children. Parents of charter school children were less likely than district public school parents to report negative emotional impact (38%). Frequent engagement appears to have been key to this. For example, 58% of charter parents reported one-on-one check-ins with teachers at least a few times a week compared to 34% of district public school parents. Charter parents were also much more likely to say the school had asked for input on reopening (56%) compared to district public school parents (24%).
Parents described very different experiences with remote learning. Parents of younger children spent far more time on both academic guidance and assistance with technical systems needed to complete school work (see chart).
Parents of color described more time on these tasks when compared to white parents, and were also more likely to say they supplemented with their own projects rather than relying only on what the schools provided (see table).
“This poll really puts a spotlight on the remote learning gap between white and non-white families,” said Juana Matias, Chief Operating Officer of MassINC. “Black, Latino, and Asian families are reporting they have less technology to start with, and they are working even harder with their kids to compensate.”
Despite these challenges, most parents gave their kids’ own school positive reviews for remote learning, with 38% saying their school’s response was “excellent” and 40% “good.” It is common in education polling for parents to rate their own schools highly even while perceiving problems with the broader system. There is also likely an element of understanding parents feel toward the struggles schools encountered, as all of society grapples with the challenges posed by coronavirus.
A very small percentage (6%) of parents statewide reported not home schooling at all, a figure which did not vary significantly by race and ethnicity.
Looking ahead, parents are divided on measures to make up for lost academic time and reopening schools. Just over half of parents support starting the school year earlier and continuing remote learning during the summer (53% each), and just 39% support making the school day longer next year. When schools do reopen, 64% are “very” or “somewhat” confident it can be done in a way that prevents the spread of the virus. Confidence levels vary widely, with 44% of Black parents expressing confidence, 48% of Latino parents, 64% of Asian parents, and 69% of white parents. See a full writeup of reopening data.
About the poll
These results are based on a survey of 1,502 parents of K-12 students in Massachusetts. Live telephone interviews and online interviewing were conducted in English and Spanish June 4-19, 2020. Telephone respondents were reached by both landline and cell phone. Oversamples of Black, Latino, and Asian American respondents were obtained to bring the total interview count up to at least 250 for each group. Results within race and ethnicity were weighted to age, gender, and education level for each group. Groups were then combined and weighted to the population parameters by race for the state as a whole. The poll was sponsored by The Boston Foundation and The Barr Foundation.
About The MassINC Polling Group
About The MassINC Polling Group: The MassINC Polling Group is a nonpartisan public opinion research firm serving public, private, and social-sector clients. MPG elevates the public's voice with cutting edge methods and rigorous analysis. Based in Boston, MPG serves a nationwide client base.