NBC NEWS DEBUTS WEEK-LONG IN-DEPTH SERIES EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON STUDENTS’ EDUCATION & WELL-BEING

Savannah Guthrie to Lead ‘Kids Under Pressure’ Series; Stories to Air Across ‘TODAY,’ ‘NBC Nightly News,’ MSNBC, NBCNews.com, NBC News NOW & ‘StayTuned’

Launches Today with Groundbreaking Research Study in Partnership with Challenge Success, a Nonprofit Affiliate of the Stanford Graduate School of Education

February 15, 2021 –  NBC News’ week-long series, “Kids Under Pressure,” debuts today, revealing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on student well-being and academic engagement.  All this week, TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, along with a team of NBC News anchors and correspondents, will explore the toll of the pandemic on high school students. The reporting will air across TODAY, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, NBCNews.com, NBC News NOW and StayTuned.

“Kids Under Pressure” is a network-wide initiative driven by original reporting and new data from a groundbreaking study NBC News conducted in partnership with Challenge Success, a nonprofit of the Stanford Graduate School of Education. Surveying over 10,000 students across a range of high schools throughout the country, it’s one of the largest national research studies shedding light on student connection, engagement and mental health during the pandemic. Click here for a comprehensive look at the study.

This morning, NBCNews.com released an in-depth look at the differences between online-only students and those who’ve spent time in school during the pandemic. 

Other programming highlights throughout the week include:

  • Savannah Guthrie will speak with high school students from her own alma mater in Tucson, Ariz. and in other schools about their school-related stress and mental health, while unveiling key insights from the study. Additionally, Guthrie will host a roundtable with female students about the stress they’re experiencing as girls are more impacted than boys, according to the study. Her multiple reports for TODAY and NBC Nightly News will culminate in a one-hour special for NBC News NOW airing Feb. 24.
  • NBC News senior national correspondent Kate Snow will spotlight a school in Texas that is helping to alleviate schoolwork, a key source of stress according to the study. Additionally, she will speak with moms and daughters about how parents can better help their kids through these challenging times. 
  • NBC News correspondent Gadi Schwartz will look at minority communities in crisis, focusing on the rising stress levels among Hispanic and Latino students. Schwartz will also explore how the pandemic is impacting how much students are sleeping.
  • NBC News chief education correspondent Rehema Ellis reports on a group of high school students, following them since the start of the school year, who say they are more stressed and less engaged with their schoolwork, friends and teachers.
  • NBC News correspondent Morgan Chesky will focus on the digital divide – how internet access has widened the academic gap between those that can afford internet connectivity and those that can’t.
  • NBC News business and tech correspondent Jo Ling Kent will report on how diagnosis and prescriptions for ADHD have increased to help kids stay focused in online classes.

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NBC News contact:

Dana.Klinghoffer@nbcuni.com

About NBC News

More Americans watch NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC than any news organization in the world. NBC News’ leading and award-winning television news broadcasts include TODAYNBC Nightly News with Lester HoltMeet the Press with Chuck Todd and Dateline NBC. MSNBC is the #2 network across all of cable and the premiere destination for breaking news, award-winning content, in-depth analysis and informed perspectives. CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage, business and general news content, and primetime reality programming, consumed by more than 557 million people per month across all platforms. The rapidly-growing NBC News Digital Group – including its streaming news services NBC News NOW and TODAY All Day – and the network’s award-winning original podcast and audio unit provide continuous content to consumers wherever they are, whenever they want it.

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