Enriching Education: Junior Achievement School Survey

Recently a survey of teens was conducted on behalf of Junior Achievement regarding school kids' opinions on attending school, learning during COVID and their futures. In short, 2/3 of kids are concerned about attending in person, half are concerned their education will suffer, nearly half are concerned about sickness, and more than a quarter are concerned about their ability to achieve their dreams.

I had a chance to interview Ed Grocholski, VP of Junior Achievement USA, to learn more.

 

 

Why is it important for parents and education professionals to be aware of how students are feeling about education?

 

There’s been a great deal of discussion about how policymakers, educators and parents feel about holding school in-person in light of the pandemic, but not much about how the students themselves might feel. We at Junior Achievement conducted this survey to get a better idea about that, and we found that teens, like most people, have concerns about in-person classes. These concerns can certainly detract from the educational experience, especially if they aren’t addressed openly and honestly this school year. It’s important that parents and educators have open conversations with young people during these uncertain times.

 

What can parents do to help make sure their kids can still feel like their goals are achievable despite the education disruption?

It appears that many, if not most, students will have some sort of at-home educational experience this year due to the pandemic. Similar to what happened this past spring, parents will undoubtedly need to be more directly involved in day-to-day education of their children because of this. This kind of support will be critical this year, as well as parents utilizing resources schools offer to provide extra assistance to students in the coming months.

 

How can teachers and school professionals help kids make sure they're on target despite school interruptions?

Disruptions, differing delivery models, and remote learning all present tremendous challenges to offering a consistent educational experience. The good thing is online and blended learning have been around a while, and there is ample evidence students can succeed in these models with support from educators. Ideally educators will have access to