The shift to online learning over the past two years has been transformational for K-12 schools, but a new report found that the impact of COVID-19 is still affecting students’ engagement, motivation, and achievement.
Instructure, the makers of Canvas, released its 2022 State of Teaching and Learning in K-12 research report on June 27, after surveying 1,379 K-12 parents, teachers, and administrators across the United States.
The study found that parents might not understand how far behind students are academically. Twenty-seven percent of parents believe their children have fallen behind significantly or majorly, whereas administrators and teachers are more likely to believe so – 51 percent and 62 percent, respectively.
Additionally, parents don’t tend to realize how much engagement has been impacted. Only half of parents – 45 percent – say that maintaining engagement has been difficult compared to a large majority of administrators and teachers – 77 percent and 81 percent.
Technology continues to play a key role in K-12 education, with the report finding that both hybrid and digital teaching and learning are here to stay.
The report found that 90 percent of parents, 91 percent of administrators, and 94 percent of teachers agree that personalized instruction has an impact on student success. What’s more, 68 percent of parents believe technology is beneficial in providing access to individualized programs.
The report also revealed that technology is no longer a “nice-to-have,” it’s essential to innovative K-12 pedagogy. Eighty-eight percent of respondents agree that the availability of technology has an impact on student success, while 86 percent believe the use of educational technology resources impacts success.
“Although teachers continue to use technology tools in the classroom to create consistency in communication and instruction, there is also a growing concern with balancing student screen time with non-tech modalities,” the report says. “However, there’s no denying that the continuation of hybrid teaching and learning has created more opportunities for personalized learning, enabling students to learn at their own pace both in and outside of the classroom.”
