Academic, emotional concerns outweigh COVID-19 risks in parents’ views about keeping schools open
53% of parents of K-12 students say schools in the United States should be providing a mix of in-person and online instruction this winter.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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U.S. public school students often go to schools where at least half of their peers are the same race or ethnicity
In 2018-19, 79% of White elementary and secondary public school students went to schools where at least half of their peers were also White.
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America’s public school teachers are far less racially and ethnically diverse than their students
While the share of Black, Hispanic and Asian American teachers has increased, it hasn’t kept pace with the growth in the diversity of students.
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Among many U.S. children, reading for fun has become less common, federal data shows
The shares of American 9- and 13-year-olds who say they read for fun on an almost daily basis have dropped from nearly a decade ago.
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What we know about online learning and the homework gap amid the pandemic
Here is what our surveys found about the students most likely to lack the home internet connectivity needed to finish schoolwork.
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More Americans now say academic concerns should be a top factor in deciding to reopen K-12 schools
More Americans now say the possibility that students will fall behind academically without in-person instruction should be given a lot of consideration.
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59% of U.S. parents with lower incomes say their child may face digital obstacles in schoolwork
38% of parents with children whose K-12 schools closed in the spring said that their child was likely to face digital obstacles in schoolwork.
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53% of Americans Say the Internet Has Been Essential During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Americans with lower incomes are particularly likely to have concerns related to the digital divide and the digital “homework gap.”
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Lower-income parents most concerned about their children falling behind amid COVID-19 school closures
64% of parents with children in elementary, middle or high school express at least some concern about their children falling behind.
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Most European students learn English in school
91% of EU students in primary and secondary school were studying English in 2017 – more than all other foreign languages learned combined.
