Schools score solid marks for pandemic learning changes

The vast majority of Australians are satisfied with how educational institutions adapted learning and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, new analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) shows. Study co-author, Professor Nicholas Biddle, said the study tracked more than 3,000 Australians' experiences of and views on education during the pandemic. "We found 47.8 per cent of Australians, or almost one-in-two, were very satisfied with their child's educational institution, while 40.2 per cent were somewhat satisfied," Professor Biddle said. "Only a small percentage of the population, 9 per cent, were not too satisfied, while 3.1 per cent were not at all satisfied." Despite this high level of satisfaction, the findings show a large number of people were still concerned about their own learning or their children's learning. "One of the more troubling findings was that almost half of Australians had some concern for their child's learning, with 13 per cent saying that they were very concerned and 36.8 per cent saying that they were somewhat concerned," Professor Biddle said. When asked, 8.9 per cent of adult learners said they were not too satisfied with their own educational institution, with 7.6 per cent of respondents saying they weren't satisfied at all. Among parents and guardians, concern was greatest for those in Victoria, those born overseas in a non-English speaking country, those from a low-income household, or those who attended a government secondary school.