(NYTIMES) When schools shut down last spring, Carson Roubison, a charter school student in Phoenix, Arizona, was initially relieved. There were some difficulties in those early days at home - when classes went online, Carson and his parents, both public school teachers, had to share the sole family computer. But Carson's stress levels fell as school became less demanding during the transition to distance learning.

"I wasn't aware of the giant impact the pandemic would have," he said, "so I was excited, to be honest, to have some time off school." But things changed in autumn. The academic load went back to pre-pandemic levels even though learning was still remote. Carson, a senior, struggled to stay motivated. His mental health suffered. He hoped to attend community college the following autumn, but grew increasingly "terrified" that the education he'd received in high school over the past year would leave him unprepared.