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One of the greatest upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 was the sudden shutdown of elementary, middle, and high schools to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Kids, families and teachers were pushed into unchartered territory: 100% virtual learning, aka online school.
Although virtual schools had already been educating hundreds of thousands of students, and blended learning (the combination of face-to-face and online instruction) is on the rise, this wholesale transition to remote learning was unprecedented. Educators, parents and students were forced to find ways to cope with the disruption.
Some schools succeeded better than others. Brian Greenberg, CEO of the nonprofit educational organization Silicon Schools, explained to Education Next, “Two factors working together — school culture and experience with technology — were strong predictors of which schools succeeded with virtual learning and which ones got stuck.”
"Back to school" will look different, depending on where you live
For the 2020-2021 school year, “back to school” has changed dramatically for many families and your "classroom" experience can vary. Here are the current statistics that will vary from district to district.
Remote learning:
According to Education Week, “As of September 2, 73% of the 100 largest school districts have chosen remote learning only as their back-to-school instructional model, affecting over 8 million students.”
Remote learning differs from online learning in that it seeks to recreate the classroom experience at home. It has a more rigid schedule, requires students to check in and has a high level of accountability.
Online-only learning:
22% of districts will offer online-only learning.
Hybrid learning:
51% of districts will offer hybrid learning, a combination of a traditional classroom experience with an online environment.
On-premises classes:
MCH Strategic Data reports that 18% of districts plan to offer on-premises classes.
The Center on Reinventing Public Education states that “Almost half of the nation's school districts will be returning to full in-person instruction. Students in rural communities are far more likely to have access to fully in-person instruction than suburban and city students.”
Success in the Virtual Learning Environment
What is VLE?
When kids go to online school, their education takes place in a Virtual Learning Environment or VLE. Simply put, a Virtual Learning Environment is the online app or platform the teachers and students interact with. To help your child succeed, it’s important for parents to understand the VLE he or she uses. On AL.com, mother of two Brooke Veazey commented, "The biggest hurdle, in the beginning, was getting used to the learning environment, how to access lessons, how to communicate with teachers, and how to guide my children when they were in need of assistance." No matter the VLE used by your child’s school, there are many ways you can support your kids through the virtual school year.
Edmentum, a VLE provider, suggests that familiaring yourself with with your child's educational plafform is one of the best things you can do to provide support. As well as learning how to use the program yourself, make sure you read any materials created for parents.
There are more virtual learning resources available to parents than ever before
The school shutdowns last spring forced many parents to become unwilling homeschoolers overnight. Now that school is back in session, you can help your child adjust to the virtual new normal and supplement his or her e-learning with engaging, educational and fun virtual educational activities. Virtual School Activities offers a large collection of sites ranging from zoo webcams to virtual field trips. Wide Open School provides a wide range of learning activities for all grades and interests.
Virtual Learning: Expectations vs. Reality
How is the transition to virtual learning working for children? The results are mixed. Before the abrupt pivot to K12 remote learning, the small amount of research that was done indicated that online learning was less effective.
There are several factors that can determine the success of virtual learning:
Access to technology
Many disadvantaged students don’t even have the means to study online. In 2019, the Associated Press found that 17% of U.S. students do not have access to computers at home and 18% do not have home access to broadband internet. The Economic Policy Institute calls this a “widespread digital divide based on family income.” This divide is likely to widen as schools transition to online learning in the fall.
Educator's response
On the positive side, parents gave high marks to the pandemic response of their local schools, and teachers have reported that some of their students are doing better in remote learning situations.
Attitude for change
Finally, perhaps this experiment in virtual education can show us the way to transform education into something new, different, and better. As Amelia Kibbie earlier wrote on Mom.com, “What if, during this pandemic, we find something BETTER than normal? As an educator and mom, I can't stop thinking what if we stop obsessing about kids 'falling behind' and instead think about how the institution of school itself could 'fall forward'?"
