Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student grades

In addition to hosting a Groundswell Gathering in Clark County, Commonwealth Institute for Parent Leadership Fellow Valerie Frost took her Groundswell engagement to the next level by studying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student grades. She interviewed parents from across the Commonwealth and gathered stories about how some students excelled during at-home learning, and others experienced challenges and difficulties.

“My high school daughter has a couple of classes she’s failing. My son has a bunch of classes he’s failing. Neither was failing before COVID. My son’s grades weren’t the best but my daughter has always done really well in school. She doesn’t like to learn on a computer. She wants a teacher. It has clearly affected their grades,” said a parent from Bowling Green.

“I think my child has thrived with being able to be at home. It’s varied right now by the household. I think if anyone is having issues it would be the younger ones. For some kids who haven’t done [schoolwork], I think their grades have gone down. That’s not allowed in my house. There are no excuses for bad grades with the amount of hands-on we do with schooling,” said a parent from Russellville.

She also hosted a roundtable discussion with students as well. Her stories can be found online.