Meredith Biesinger
Title 1, Small district, Rural/Town district, K-12
Of course, there was an overwhelming response for schools to return to in-person learning last year, even more so this year. However, many students and their families opt to continue with virtual school when given a chance. From a survey of 1,000 parents of K–12 students , 45 percent would opt to keep their children entirely online (given the opportunity), and 22 percent would choose a hybrid model for their children.
Virtual Learning Safety isn’t limited to fears of Covid. Parents are also concerned about other hot topics, such as bullying and school violence, and virtual learning has provided families with additional options to combat their concerns.
Many parents have discovered that their children enjoy the freedom of remote classes and perform better academically online.
A 2021 survey of district leaders found that 1 in 5 schools have already adopted or planned to adopt virtual schooling after the pandemic.
Why? Districts see several students who were once struggling in the traditional face-to-face model now successfully navigating virtual learning. In addition, virtual learning has allowed students to personalize their instruction.
Personalized instruction can also benefit students’ schedules by allowing them to fit schoolwork around their personal lives and, for older students, part-time jobs.
There’s a remarkable parallel between adults who realized they could perform their job from home during the pandemic to families and students who realized they could learn from home as well. There’s flexibility there that is desired by many.
Virtual learning doesn’t conform to time constraints. Students can log in to their devices, complete work on their schedules, and take classes they may never have had access to before. In addition, online platforms broaden students’ access to Advanced Placement classes, language classes, electives, and more!
School districts across the country are seeing a demand from parents and students for the opportunity to continue virtual learning post-pandemic.
Virtual Learning on a computer The flip side of virtual instruction is that while many students thrived in an online learning environment, there are just as many, if not more, who have fallen behind.
Educators have been striving to bridge the gap of lost instruction time over the last year. However, while virtual learning is likely here to stay, in-school instruction is too.
Parents, students, and educators need and appreciate options. In terms of learning methods and classroom management, there’s simply not a one-size-fits-all K-12 learning model anymore; however, there never really was, to begin with, and the ed-tech space provides the options needed and desired by everyone.
At Agile, we help edtech companies connect with educators. Learn more about how our tools and resources can help you gain the insights needed to identify and connect with educators and get in touch with our experts today.
