Walton-Gallup student success survey study suggests room for improvement

A new survey study from the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup suggests that students are still in need of additional academic support to improve performance and address “learning loss” that came with COVID-19.

According to their second annual Student Report Card survey, students in U.S. schools today have an average GPA of 2.60, showing a lack of improvement from last year’s 2.68 average GPA. The study surveyed over 2,000 students across the country, who graded their schools on 11 key areas relating to a student’s school experience, such as quality of teaching and career preparedness.

The report indicated that U.S. students continue to rate their schools lowest in categories related to career readiness, addressing unique learning needs and “sparking excitement for learning,” according to Gallup analysts. It added that household income is a driving factor in students’ grading, with only 20 percent of low-income students giving their school an A compared to 31 percent of their peers.

Among notable findings, the report indicated that only 50 percent of students graded their schools with a B or above when asked if they are learning skills relevant to emerging technologies and an increasingly tech-integrated job market. It said that schools “must seize the opportunity to bring those grades up,” through additional investments in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-related programming.

Forty percent of those surveyed gave their schools a C grade in that category, with lower income and rural students tending to grade their schools lower.

About 66 percent of students graded their schools B or more in terms of quality of teaching and teacher-student relationships, despite only 19 percent of students giving their schools an A for adapting to their unique learning needs. What’s more, 51 percent of students give their school a C or below in “making them feel excited about learning.

”The report suggested that schools should focus on connecting more students with academic resources that match their career aspirations, among other strategies for improving student performance.“America’s schools can do better in providing students with individualized learning based on their interests and learning styles,” analysts said. “Students also grade schools harshly in preparing them for lives beyond high school, including helping them figure out what type of careers they would like to explore.”