Survey: Most Teachers Want to Move on to Next Year’s Content in the Fall

Students leave the Thurgood Marshal Elementary school after the Seattle Public School system was abruptly closed due to CCP virus fears in Seattle, Wash., on March 11, 2020. John Moore/Getty Images

Teachers across the nation want to begin next school year with the next grade’s instruction, rather than reteaching content from this spring, according to an online survey on options to help students make up for their lost school days when classrooms reopen in the fall.

Conducted in April by non-profit advocacy group Collaborative for Student Success, the survey (pdf) included over 5,500 teachers, administrators, policymakers, and advocates. Participants were asked for their opinions on the following different options for the 2020-21 school year.

• An extended school year with additional time to revisit content from spring 2020.
• Beginning the next school year with contents from spring 2020, but keep the length unchanged
• Beginning the next school year as in any other year, with next grade’s instruction.
• Offer students the option to repeat the present grade.

Results showed that 70 percent of administrators—who accounted for about 12 percent of all respondents—chose beginning the next year with spring 2020 concepts as the best option for making up lost school time due to school closures. Advocates and policymakers mostly agreed with administrators.