Some bright spots have emerged in a new report on students’ insights about their teachers’ expectations and the support schools have provided this fall.
Just over half of students—some 55%—reported feeling that their teachers cared if they were learning during COVID’s disruption’s this fall, according to Youth Truth’s “Learning from Student Voice: Teacher Expectations & Support in Fall 2020.”
These numbers were particularly high in middle school, where 65% of students said their teachers cared if they were learning.
In pre-COVID surveys, only 47% of students expressed the same sentiment about their eachers.
More from DA: 7 things students say about resilience during COVID
Overall, the report “speaks to some of the heroic efforts of educators across the country who are showing up to meet the moment,” says the nonprofit organization that advocates for students and families.
Here four more insights students shared:
- Just over half feel that their teachers’ expectations make them want to do their best.
- Students are now more likely to report that their teachers don’t let them give up when the work gets hard.
- Students are now more likely to report that teachers give them extra help when they need it.
- Over 80% of students say their teachers believe they can get a good grade if they try.
In all of these cases, the numbers of students expressing these feelings were higher than in pre-COVID surveys, Youth Truth says.
For example, 67% of students said teachers offered extra help this fall, compared to 58% of learners who said the same pre-COVID.
Over 18,000 secondary students were surveyed this fall for the report, which measured the findings against surveys of over 120,000 students conducted during the three years prior to the pandemic.
More from DA: How online learning affects parents’ mental health
