By Linda Kor As educational institutions scrambled to find ways to provide education during the onslaught of a pandemic requiring seclusion and distancing, for a majority of school districts the solution came in the form of online learning. The dramatic shift from on-campus to online learning was a challenge, not just for young students but also teachers who had never taught under such conditions. To determine the impact of distance learning on advancing education, Julie Fields, the federal projects director at Holbrook Unified School District, conducted educational research on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted families, at-home learning, ways that district parents have adjusted to virtual learning, and the overall impact that adjustments to the traditional school setting has impacted families. As part of that data, an online survey of parents was conducted over a period of two weeks from April 14-30 and resulted in 159 respondents. The following are some of the results provided by parents in response that Fields presented to the board last week. The response percentages for those who stated the questions were not applicable to their circumstance are not included. Parents were asked whether or not they believed virtual learning increased their involvement with their child’s education. The responses showed that 44% were neutral on their response, 35.2% agreed that it had and 18.2% disagreed. In response to the question of whether or not they felt the schools communicated with them during the pandemic, 70.4% agreed, 20.1% were neutral and 8.8% disagreed. As far as getting the tools needed to help their child during online learning, 54.7% agreed they had, 30.2% were neutral and 15.1 percent felt they had not. Asked whether or not they felt their child continued to progress, even with the restriction of at-home learning that were put in place during the pandemic, 47.2% agreed, 28.3% were neutral and 27% disagreed. Regarding communication, parents were asked if during the pandemic and as at-home learning took place, were they given information about their child’s development and services needed for support. To that question 47.8% felt they had, 34% were neutral and 17% disagreed. A majority of parents felt their child had received the academic support they need to make the progress necessary to succeed to the next grade level with 41.5% agreeing, 32.1% neutral and 23.9% disagreeing. With the school’s being brought into the home, parents were asked if their perception of the educational process has changed as a result of the pandemic. More than half, 50.3% felt it had, 35.8% were neutral and 8.8% disagreed. When asked if parents felt their student was prepared to work from home during the pandemic, most felt they were not with 42.8% disagreeing, 35.2% agreeing, and 22.6% neutral. In addressing the board, Fields postulated that the lack of internet on the reservation may have been a factor. “Also, everybody may have been online at once and the service was overwhelmed.” As far as preference for an educational environment, 61.6% of the parents said they preferred kids be back on campus, 27% preferred a blend between on-campus and at-home learning, and 11.3% were undecided. “Overall, most parents responded that they felt they were provided with the tools they felt their child needed, felt their child continued to progress, felt their perceptions of education had changed and preferred in-person learning. A lack of communication between the school and home didn’t show up as a concern in multiple choice questions but did get definitely mentioned in the open-ended responses,” stated Fields, adding that the complete research results are available for review. Fields concluded by reminding those present that a pandemic is something that has never been dealt with before in school systems. “Everybody had to make changes… I think mostly, everyone should be commended for their patience, their ability and their new reality.”