Distance Learning is Failing in South Florida
Bottom Line: About a month ago we received the first quarter academic assessments for the 2020-2021 school year. The news wasn’t good. Actually, that’s a huge understatement. South Florida’s students experienced the biggest one-year decline in education outcomes in recorded history. Through the first quarter of the 2020-2021 school year here’s the percentage of 6th-12th graders who were failing in South Florida led by a decline in education outcomes due to distance learning in lieu of classroom instruction.
- Broward: 11% up from 4% last year
- Miami-Dade: 9% up from 4% last year
- Palm Beach County: 11% up from 3% last year
Or, to put it another way. Here’s the increase in F’s year over year in South Florida:
- Broward: 275%
- Miami-Dade: 225%
- Palm Beach County: 367%
Based on the latest info from the Palm Beach County School District the news isn’t improving. They just sent notices to parents of 21,800 students who they’re requesting come back to the classroom due to significant declines in performance. I wanted to circle back to this topic because of the significance of what’s at stake. There are many ways I could illustrate the point but here’s an angle I’ve not addressed previously. 25% of students who fail by the 9th grade drop out of school prior to graduating. The current median income of a full-time employed high-school dropout is $31,000 annually. That compares to an average annual income of $51,000. High school dropouts have an unemployment rate which is more than double the national average and dropouts are 3.5 times more likely to be arrested during their lifetimes.
My point is this. Many families have put life on hold in various ways because of the pandemic. One thing you never get back is time. What’s happening academically right now will forever shape your children’s life. A recent study showed only 12% of students are performing better with online education compared to classroom instruction. Unless your child is part of that 12%, the priority should be classroom education for them. Additionally, recent information from the Florida Department of Education showed students attending school had a lower contagion rate for COVID-19 than those being educated remotely. The more you, and your children, know...
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