All the coronavirus-induced changes to schooling during the pandemic have upended learning for millions of students attending school online from their homes. The ongoing pandemic is changing teaching and learning in ways we could not have imagined. In addition, some assessments are being cancelled across the U.S. Many educators and parents are wondering where their students are in their learning. Are they behind? Are they being challenged?


In spring of 2020, Cognia’s Innovation Lab conducted a survey of more than 74,000 students, teachers, and parents to determine the impact of remote schooling and learn what their experiences might mean for supporting educators and students in the future.

Our data show that students are busy but not challenged at home. In the transition from familiar, face-to-face school environments to remote learning, students were subject to more assignments (80% of students reported more work), but academic activities were less challenging than before the onset of the pandemic. Students felt isolated and missed their routines, and both students and parents felt anxiety over student readiness. However, among the good news to report, teachers felt supported by their leaders, and students felt their teachers cared about them.

In this edition we explore:

As we settle into an era of pandemic schooling, we have lessons to learn—certainly. But we also have reasons to connect, new ways to build relationships, and reasons to celebrate.

Mark A. Elgart, Ed.D.
Dr. Mark A. Elgart has served as president and CEO of Cognia since 2002. Under his leadership Cognia was established, following the merger of AdvancED and Measured Progress, to bridge the gap between school evaluation and student assessment.  Cognia serves as the trusted partner with over 36,000 institutions in 85 countries to advance learning for 25 million students.  Elgart has a long, distinguished career of 40 years as an educational leader including time as a math and physics teacher, school principal, and chief executive leading a global, education non-profit.  He is annually recognized, both locally and internationally, as an influential leader in education due to his impact on education policy and the work of schools.  He is an internationally recognized speaker on education and frequent author on educational issues including recent whitepapers on federal policy and school improvement.  In education, Elgart is widely viewed as the foremost authority on school improvement and education quality.  Elgart earned a bachelor’s  in Mathematics from Springfield College, a master’s in Educational Administration from Westfield State College, and Doctorate in Education in Leadership in Schooling from the University of Massachusetts.