Families Make Most Of Online Education But They Worry: USC Study

LOS ANGELES, CA — Most parents are pleased with the quality of online education their children are receiving since schools closed due to the coronavirus shutdown, according to new findings from a USC Dornsife's national survey. However many worry that their children might not be prepared for the next school year, and many high school seniors are rethinking their college plans.

At the same time, the burden of educating the kids at home, is falling disproportionally on mothers whether or not both parents are working, the study found.

The new findings from USC Dornsife's national probability-based tracking survey measure the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the lives of Americans.

According to the survey, 78% of parents are satisfied with communication from their schools, and 87% of parents of school-age children say at least one child is engaging in educational activities provided by their schools, according to a statement. But parents in 25% of all households are concerned their child won't be prepared for the next school year. The concern is greatest among Latino parents, 37% of whom worry about their child's or children's preparation for school in the fall.

The pandemic is taking a toll on high school seniors and their college plans, according to the survey.

"Since the pandemic, almost 15% of households with a high-school senior reported that their student has changed their post-graduation plans," researchers found. "With many colleges and universities uncertain about whether their campuses will be open in the fall, and households struggling to make ends meet due to COVID-19 economic effects, the survey will continue to investigate the nature of these changes as well as how much they vary according to characteristics such as income and race."

USC Dornsife's "Understanding Coronavirus in America" study also reveals a stark gender divide for childcare responsibilities, a large digital divide based on household income, and other inequalities that could worsen over time, according to the statement. More than a third of low-income families reported not having access to a computer and internet. Among parents. 43 percent of working mothers took on the primary responsibility for children compared to just 7 percent of working dads.

The study, led by the USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research, is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USC. For this study, scientists have been surveying a panel of nearly 5,900 adult U.S. residents since mid-March about COVID-19 and how it has been impacting their lives. The researchers added education-related questions to the survey on April 1 and analyzed data collected through April 15 from 1,452 households with children in daycare/preschool through 12th grade. Everyone who was surveyed is a participant in the Understanding America Study, which has been tracking the same participants since 2014.

Data from the study is updated daily and available to researchers and the public at: covid19pulse.usc.edu.

"Districts, schools and teachers had so little time to switch from in- person to distance learning," said CESR Education Research Scientist Anna Saavedra. "The fact that 87% of children are participating in school-provided educational activities at home is a bright spot in the survey findings. But as students remain at home for the rest of the school year, we are concerned about and will track factors that could exacerbate existing economic, racial and gender-based inequalities."

City News Service contributed to this report.