Mental Health Still a Big Concern for Students, New Study Reveals

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring, students and teachers across the U.S. were thrown into remote learning — and the transition was challenging. According to an initial survey released in July by Carnegie Corporation of New York grantee YouthTruth, of the more than 20,000 students (in grades 5–12) surveyed in May and June of 2020, just half said their teachers gave them assignments that really helped them learn, and only 39 percent said they learned a lot every day. Additionally, 70 percent of students reported facing at least one obstacle to their virtual learning, with half of those students also reporting depression, stress, or anxiety. 

The results of a subsequent YouthTruth survey, Students Weigh In, Part II: Learning & Well-Being During COVID-19 — this one conducted between September and December 2020 — were recently released, and while there was some marked improvement in learning, mental health remains a challenge. 

The second report explores findings from students in 952 schools across 37 states. It identified key areas of progress since the initial survey YouthTruth conducted to understand the impact of school closures in spring 2020.  Most notably, 61 percent of surveyed students said they “learned a lot every day” in fall 2020, up from just 39 percent in spring 2020, and comparable to pre-pandemic levels. While students reported increased academic support from their teachers, 72 percent — two percent more than in the spring — indicated that socio-emotional challenges continued to impede their learning, with depression, stress, or anxiety named as the most frequently cited obstacles. More Hispanic or Latinx, multiracial, and Black or African American students reported obstacles to learning than did white or Asian students. This disparity was found in other aspects of students’ educational experience as well, including changed postsecondary plans and distractions at home.

As schools begin to map out the future of post-pandemic learning, it is critical that student experience continues to be a top consideration, with a focus on those students who are most vulnerable before, during, and after times of national struggle. 

Download the full YouthTruth report Students Weigh In, Part II: Learning & Well-Being During COVID-19.