Latino Teens: Distance Learning Is a Giant Stressor amid Coronavirus
Latino teens are more worried than their peers that they won’t be able to keep up with school work or extracurricular activities amid coronavirus, says a new survey by Common Sense and SurveyMonkey.
70% of Latino teens fear falling behind in homework.
62% of Latino teens fear lagging in activities like band and sports.
These are far higher percentages of worry about online, distance learning than their white (49% and 53%), black (66% and 54%), and other (40% and 50%) peers.
How “real” is this teen angst?
Many Teens Are Not Connecting with Teachers During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Coronavirus has shut down schools and fueled the rise of online, distance learning.
But not all teen students regularly communicate with their teachers.
One in four teens connect with teachers less than once a week. Over 40% haven’t attended an online or virtual class since in-person schools closed, according to the Common Sense survey conducted with 849 U.S. teens between March 24 and April 1, 2020.
The problem, the data suggest, is no access to the Internet.
Inequities in Internet Access Are Thwarting Distance Learning
Learning is stalled for the 12 million U.S. students who live in homes with no broadband Internet.
“With the majority of kids now learning from home instead of school and, as this poll indicates, struggling to keep connections with teachers, the nation is confronting a huge equity challenge,”said Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense. “It’s more critical than ever that students have access to technology for learning and safety no matter where they live.”
Broadband access is especially critical for Latinos.
About 23% of Latino children live in homes with no high-speed Internet. This is a higher percentage than their white (10%) and Asian (5%) peers, according to a 2018 study by Pew Research Center.
18% of Latino students said they don’t have access to a computer at home.