For 50-plus years, students in grades 4, 8, and 12 have taken national standardized tests that assess reading and math proficiency and are designed to measure overall academic achievement. But long before those assessments begin, students acquire other foundational skills that shape how well they learn in school. Many of these—including motor skills, self-regulation, and social-emotional maturity—are rarely measured in formal assessments.
A new nationally representative survey from the EdWeek Research Center offers a snapshot of how teachers and administrators view young students’ skills in these often overlooked areas.
In January 2026, the EdWeek Research Center surveyed 1,163 early educators and administrators who work with children in pre-K through 3rd grade. The survey asked about students’ behavior, emotional regulation, motor development, and other foundational skills. Respondents were also asked whether today’s students in pre-K through 3rd grade struggle more with basic skills and daily tasks than their same-age peers two years ago.
Their responses showed some concerning patterns. Across multiple areas—from everyday classroom routines to emotional regulation—educators report that young children are struggling more than in recent years. Keep reading for a detailed breakdown of key findings, and what they may tell us about today’s youngest students.
A decline in the ability to perform basic skills and tasks
A clear majority of survey respondents—75% of whom were preschool teachers—said that compared with two years ago, students are struggling more with several basic skills and tasks, from following instructions to tying their own shoes.
What’s at play here?
Researchers say the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic appears to continue to plague young students—even those who weren’t in school then.
Those students may be feeling the effects of fundamental post-pandemic changes to the educational system, said Megan Kuhfeld, author of a report that analyzed test results of students who were in K-2 in the spring of 2025 and found 1st and 2nd graders to be struggling.
Similarly, a 2024 study found declines in communication, problem-solving, and other social skills among children born during the pandemic compared to those born pre-pandemic. The study took place in pediatric office settings and included more than 50,000 children ages 0-5.
Certain behaviors and attitudes at home that accelerated during the pandemic may also contribute. Screen use by children of all ages of increased during the pandemic. Today, nearly 40% of 2-year-olds have their own tablets, and 75% of parents whose children use screen media do not impose limits, according to a 2025 national report by Common Sense Media.
Some experts say this hands-off approach aligns with permissive parenting styles.
Families that favor permissive parenting tend to prioritize their children’s immediate emotional well-being, let them make their own choices, and use discipline sparingly. In turn, children raised with permissive parenting may find classroom routines, rules, and overall expectations overwhelming or confusing.
Disruptive behavior, emotional dysregulation in the early grades
Student misbehavior disrupts instruction multiple times a day, according to nearly half of the educators surveyed. Fifty nine percent of respondents said students’ behavior has worsened over the past two years. Those findings echo similar survey results from about two years ago, indicating that early elementary students’ behavior continues to move in the wrong direction.
In fall 2023, the EdWeek Research Center surveyed a nationally representative sample of pre-K-3 teachers for its 2024 State of Teaching survey. Respondents reported that, compared with five years earlier, “students show more, or much more, difficulty with social-emotional skills including listening and following directions, sharing, cooperating with others, and taking turns.”
These data support what teachers and school leaders confront at school.
“We’ve seen a large increase in the inability for students to cope when things don’t go their way. We see a lot of crying, yelling, shutting down, gross overreactions,” Ian Knox, the principal of Hamagrael Elementary School in upstate New York, told EdWeek. “Teachers are kind of at the end of their rope. It’s disrupting to the climate in classrooms.”
Knox’s observations align with results from the EdWeek Research Center’s 2026 early learning survey. Among educators who teach children who are mostly 5 or younger, fewer than half agreed that their students effectively regulate their emotions during class time.
Many students lack age-appropriate fine motor skills
More than half of survey respondents said students’ age-appropriate fine motor skills have declined over the past two years. Four in 10 said the same about gross motor skills. A majority pointed to increased screen time and parenting trends as the top reasons why.
“Within the last few years, we have noticed a decline in fine motor and personal adaptive skills. Children are coming in not being able to hold crayons, stack blocks, put on coats, etc. With these challenges, we are also noticing a decline in desire to do such activities,” commented one survey respondent.
These challenges can affect more than just playtime.
Fine motor development helps students participate in many of the activities that make early learning engaging, like building with blocks and drawing. When those skills lag, teachers may struggle to pique their interest in the academic learning that dominates K-12 education.
Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.
