NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Parents of high school students across the United States are bullish that schools closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic will reopen relatively quickly, according to a new Kaplan survey*. Of the parents surveyed, 33 percent think high schools will reopen at the start of the regularly scheduled fall semester; 30 percent think they will reopen before the current school year is over; 20 percent believe they will reopen over the summer; 4 percent think they will start up again within a few months after the regularly scheduled 2020-2021 year begins; two percent say in January 2021 or after; and 11 percent say they don’t know.
According to one study, as of March 22, 46 states have decided to close their schools because of the COVID-19 crisis, affecting at least 54.5 million students.
Overall, 77 percent of parents say their child’s high school has done a good job of communicating with them during the COVID-19 crisis. But when it comes to providing guidance as to what their child should actually be doing at home, that percentage was lower. While 67 percent of parents believe their high school has done a good job of providing the support their child needs to continue their learning from home, the range of support offered varies greatly across schools:
- Less than half (43 percent) say their school has provided their child with homework assignments
- 37 percent say their school provided them with an online/virtual learning environment
- 28 percent say they have been provided with online tutorials
- 27 percent said they were provided with laptops or tablets
- 25 percent say they were provided with online study tools like the Khan Academy or Quizlet
- 20 percent report that their school recommended that their children read certain chapters in textbooks
- 18 percent say the high school has organized virtual study sessions with classmates
- 15 percent say their high school is not requiring any work while closed
- 8 percent report that their high school has provided stress management resources
In another survey result, nearly seven in 10 parents (69 percent) are confident that if their child’s high school switched to a virtual classroom environment for the rest of the year, their child has the necessary skills to succeed.
“Given the grim news we’ve been hearing lately about statewide shelter in place orders and the closures of all non-essential places of business, it may be surprising that so many parents of high school students are relatively optimistic that their children will be back within the walls of their school again so soon,” said Dennis Yim, director of academics, Kaplan Test Prep. “No doubt that every parent wants what’s best for their child and thinking positively is important, but it’s also quite possible that what many are calling ‘the new normal’ may be here for longer than many anticipate. It’s important that schools remain in close contact with both parents and students to provide guidance and support about how to continue learning. It seems likely that as the weeks go by, we may see even more guidance from schools in terms of how their students can keep up with their studies. Likewise, parents will have to consider what the best path forward may be for their children learning outside the traditional classroom, for the time being.”
For more information about Kaplan’s survey results, contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 917.822.8190.
*Based on the results of a nationwide survey conducted by email of 320 parents of high school students, between March 19 and March 20.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 200 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school. Among those tests are the SAT®, PSAT®, ACT®, GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT®, and MCAT®. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)
