Teachers Reported Many Obstacles for High-Poverty Students and English Learners As Well As Some Mitigating Strategies

While the pandemic presented obstacles for many students during the 2020-21 school year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)’s nationwide survey of public K-12 teachers showed that teachers with certain vulnerable student populations were more likely to have students who faced significant obstacles to learning and an increased risk of falling behind academically. Teachers reported that students encountered obstacles to learning including difficulty in getting support, a lack of appropriate workspaces, and a lack of tools for learning. While teachers across all grades reported that their students had difficulties using technology to participate in learning, this was more pronounced for teachers of K-2 students compared to, in some cases, teachers of students in higher grades. 14 percent of teachers in grades K-2 said that half or more of their students struggled with a lack of reliable internet service. For grades 3-8, that was 13 percent of teachers, and for grades 9-12, that was 7 percent of teachers.