School Systems Across the U.S. Report Increased Rates of Failure From Virtual Learning

While more school districts face a return to completely virtual classrooms as the latest coronavirus surge sweeps the nation, systems are increasingly reporting that online learning doesn’t cut it, with rates of failure soaring across the country.

In Fairfax County, Virginia, a new report from the Office of Research and Strategic Improvement found that the percentage of failing grades so far were up more than 80% compared to last year’s rates — jumping 6% to 11%.

In the Los Angeles Unified School District, Ds and Fs among middle and high school students have surged — as school attendance fell. LA schools did not report the year-on-year differences, but districts in the Bay Area reported 50% jumps in failing grades compared to relative stability over the past few years.

In Austin, Texas, nearly one-quarter of all middle school students in the Austin Independent School District were failing at least one class, a 70% increase compared to last year. In the Van Alstyne ISD, 62% of all students participating in virtual learning were failing at least one class. In neighboring Pottsboro ISD, virtual learners were more than five times as likely to have a failing grade than students who attended in-person classes.

The detriments of virtual learning were not indiscriminate — they were felt harder in underserved communities. Lower-income households without the means to provide additional extracurricular support, students with disabilities, and students whose first language is not English all fell into a widening education gap that was largely predicted by educational researchers. (Read more from “School Systems Across the U.S. Report Increased Rates of Failure From Virtual Learning” HERE)

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