It appears that remote learning will remain in some fashion, even beyond the pandemic, according to a recent survey by the Rand Corporation think tank. And that’s especially true for K-12 instruction. 

What Happened: Of the almost 300 American school districts surveyed, almost one-quarter plan to run virtual schooling during the 2021-22 school year, a ninefold increase in comparison with pre-pandemic levels. About 20% of parents surveyed were interested in keeping some form of remote instruction. Importantly, only about 6% of students surveyed wanted to have full remote instruction. 

Remote instruction has been particularly new for urban school districts in comparison with suburban counterparts.

Additionally, in the 2021-22 school year, majority white schools are more than 10% likely to have some or full remote courses in comparison with schools that have majority students of color. 

Why It Matters: It appears that virtual learning, in some capacity, is here to stay this year and possibly even after the pandemic recedes. At one point, over 1 billion students were learning away from a physical classroom and that seems to have made broad changes to educational systems. 

There are a few companies to especially look out for because they either prop up the online learning industry or operate directly within it. Franklin Covey Company (NASDAQ:FC) has seen its stock skyrocket in the last year alone.

Photo: Sharon McCutcheon via Unsplash .