Many Children May Need ‘Social or Psychological Support’ Following Pandemic

COVID restrictions have had a negative impact not just on students’ learning progress, but also on their emotional well-being, according to a report issued this month by MUSE Academy, a private institution based in New York that will serve students in pre-kindergarten 3 through second grade in the fall, with plans to expand grades as their students advance.

For the study, MUSE polled parents in public, private and charter institutions in New York.

Among the findings: “Parents ... noted a range of social and emotional impacts from the isolation resulting from online or "hybrid" learning models. 26% of parents surveyed noticed modest social and emotional symptoms. 24% observed social withdrawal; 19% saw reduced interest in friendships; 23% noted a reduced interest in outside activities; and 9% said their children had experienced depression or anxiety due to the schooling approach this year.”

Overall, according to the survey, parents were satisfied with their students’ educational programs, with “68% giving a rating of 4 or 5, with 5 being extremely satisfied.” However: “Despite this, 51% of parents had noticed a ‘moderate’ learning slide in their children, whereas 30% observed a ‘noticeable’ decline, and 10% saw a ‘severe’ learning slide.”

"The results of this survey confirm what a difficult year this has been for families in our city, and highlight the challenges we face as educators to help children catch up for what has been a 'lost year' for many students," said Deborah Bradley-Kramer, Head of School of MUSE Academy, in a prepared statement.

"The voices that emerge from the survey underscore the real distress that so many parents have felt trying to balance keeping their children safe with promoting their intellectual development," said Crocker Coulson, founder and Chair of the Board of Trustees of MUSE Academy. "As our city emerges from the pandemic, it is clear that not only do we need to invest in helping kids catch up academically. And we need to help them reconstruct the rich web of relationships that often centers around school and extracurricular activities."

MUSE Academy noted that “schools and teachers will need to work hard to regain lost ground and that many children may need social or psychological support to find a new equilibrium.”

Further details can be found at museacademybk.com.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • Stock market graphs and candlesticks breaking apart with glass-like cracks

    Chinese Startup Disrupts AI Market

    A new low-cost artificial intelligence model from China is wreaking havoc in the technology sector, with tech stocks plummeting globally as concerns grow over the potential disruption it could cause.

  • interconnected glowing nodes and circuits in blue and green, forming a neural network on a dark background with a futuristic design

    Tech Giants Launch $100 Billion National AI Infrastructure Project

    OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle have announced a new venture, Stargate, through which they aim to build a massive AI infrastructure network across the United States. The initiative, which was announced at the White House with President Donald Trump, has been described as the "largest AI infrastructure project in history."

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Leveraging AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are utilizing some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  •  laptop surrounded by floating digital books and cloud-based documents

    Mississippi Department of Education Approves Imagine Learning Resources for Statewide Adoption

    The Mississippi Department of Education has added Imagine Learning's Imagine IM and Traverse solutions to its list of state-adopted high-quality instructional materials.