New Report: What CT Students Really Think Of Distance Learning

CONNECTICUT — Remember when you thought the kids would be home from school and learning online for two, may three, weeks, max? At this point, they've been distance learning so long there have been national surveys taken and published to gauge how they feel about it all.

The top school-search platform Niche recently surveyed over 65,000 high school and college students as well as parents to gauge the impact COVID-19 is having on their academic progress and college plans.

The top-line takeaway from the 735 responses submitted from Connecticut residents is that the schools are doing a pretty good job. According to the local data, 63 percent of students believe their school is "handling this crisis well," as does 75 percent of the parents.

Although the majority of students may appreciate how well their schools pulled off distance learning, very few — just 10 percent — of them expect or want "algebra by Zoom" to catch on permanently, or believe it's as effective as in-person education.

Parents with students who have their eye on college, be warned: the virus crisis is fundamentally changing many students' outlook on higher education, according to the new data. Across the Northeast, the majority of students are still sitting on their final college decision, Niche is reporting, and the COVID-19 outbreak has 40 percent of them reconsidering their choices. Thirty-nine percent of Connecticut high school students surveyed report that the pandemic has made them more likely to enroll in a college close to home.

For many college students across the nation, modern times have them questioning the decisions they made at the start of their higher education. The number of students considering transferring or taking time off has increased by 22 percent.

Nationwide, only 18 percent of seniors "strongly agree" that they feel prepared to start college now, so it's no surprise that seven percent of seniors are considering not enrolling or deferring admission for a year.

Niche is continuing to collect data (full survey here), and is reporting on how students' and parents' views might change over time, which everyone hopes is not a very long period.