Argumentative Essay Example: In-Person vs. Online Learning

For the last 18 months students had to sit at home with the discomfort of not seeing new friends and making new connections. I believe that in person school is superior to online school. I also believe that online school is not a good substitute for in person. This essay will show you research that supports in person attendance over online school.

Online school has caused serious learning delays that teachers have seen in their students. A study done by Mckinsey and Company showed that kids in online learning have a learning delay of up to three months. This can be bad for kids because when they come back in person they will be far behind the rest of the class and in some instances end up failing.  A survey done by Horace Mann shows that 97% of educators saw learning loss within their students.

Another reason that in person learning is superior to online is that teachers rate online learning very low in effectivness. A Mckinsey and Company study found that teachers rated online 5/10 all over the world. In another study by the RAND Corporation ⅔ of teachers said most of their online students were less prepared. Even though in person learning is clearly more effective there are some people who still disagree.  

Despite the evidence there are some people that say online school is superior. They say that it provides parents and opportunity to monitor and control their kid’s learning enviorment. According to an Ed Choice survey, 68% said flexibility for kid’s was an important factor in their decision to do online schooling, However this evidence is not valid because flexibility does not mean more effective education. It is not a persuasive argument.

Online school can cause serious learning delays as shown by surveys of teachers. Online learning is also much less effective as reported by teachers. In person school is clearly a better option.

In conclusion, in person school is much more effective than online learning. Online learning produces learning delays and is much less effective. In person learning should be the preferred method whenever possible.