Teachers and States
The Washington Post: Polls: 20 percent of teachers not likely to return to classrooms if schools reopen this fall
Twenty percent of U.S. teachers say they are not likely to return to their classrooms this fall if schools reopen — and most parents and educators believe that school buildings will open, according to polls published Tuesday. (Strauss, 5/26/20)
USA Today: Back to school? 1 in 5 teachers are unlikely to return to reopened classrooms this fall, poll says
Most Americans expect schools to reopen in the fall, but a stunning number of teachers and students may not be there. (Page, 5/27/20)
The Washington Post: Students in masks? Sick kids staying home? Teachers aren’t convinced plans will keep them safe.
School districts across the country are sharing rough drafts of what the fall could look like. They are under increasing pressure, from parents and politicians, for those plans to include at least some in-person learning. (Stein & Heim, 6/5/20)
NPR: A Teacher Ponders Risk Of Returning To Work While Being Paid Less Than Unemployment
The Portland, Ore., school where she works is temporarily closed but may reopen as an emergency child care center. Morse dreads the idea of going back to a classroom filled with 2-year-olds who don’t understand hand-washing, let alone social distancing. (Horsley, 6/16/20)
Marketplace: Teachers push back against school reopening plans
For millions of working parents, the demands of child care during the pandemic have been devastating. Now, despite exploding COVID-19 cases in many parts of the country, a growing chorus of voices are demanding that schools reopen. (Carino, 7/2/20)
The Washington Post: 12 inconvenient truths about schools and kids that should be considered before reopening — from a teacher
As other countries reopen their schools or are well on their way to doing so, school districts in the United States are still putting together their plans for the 2020-21 school year, which is supposed to start next month in many parts of the country. (Strauss, 7/3/20)
NPR: When It Comes To Reopening Schools, ‘The Devil’s In The Details,’ Educators Say
I feel like my government and my fellow citizens have put me in a position where it’s not really in the best interests of our family.” (Kamenetz, 7/8/20)
The Washington Post: In D.C. wards hit hardest by covid-19, sending kids to school is a risk some parents won’t take
Many more grandparents and relatives of the school’s nearly 1,000 students, most of whom are black or Hispanic, have been killed by the virus. (Stein, 7/10/20)
The New York Times: ‘I Don’t Want to Go Back’: Many Teachers Are Fearful and Angry Over Pressure to Return
Teachers say crucial questions about how schools will stay clean, keep students physically distanced and prevent further spread of the virus have not been answered. (Goldstein & Shapiro, 7/11/20)
USA Today: COVID-19 separated this school board member from her preemie. She plans to vote against reopening.
On Wednesday, Erica Whitfield will cast her vote on whether to send Palm Beach County teachers and students back to the classroom amid a pandemic. The school board member says the choice has been anything but academic. (Isger, 7/14/20)
The New York Times: Chicago Plan Would Have Kids in Classrooms 2 Days Per Week
Most Chicago children would return to the classroom two days a week and spend the other three days learning remotely once the school year begins under a tentative plan city officials presented Friday despite opposition to any in-person instruction by the teachers union because of the coronavirus threat. (AP, 7/17/20)
CNN: Several big US school districts are extending remote classes into the fall
School districts across the country are being forced to reconsider their reopening plans and even reverse course for the upcoming school year, as coronavirus infection rates continue to spike and new hot spots emerge. (Grayer, 7/15/20)
The Washington Post: Facing uncertain fall, schools make flexible reopening plans
Administrators in the Parkway school district in suburban St. Louis spent the summer break crafting a flexible reopening plan, with options that include full-time classroom learning, full-time online instruction and a hybrid system. (Salter & Ramer, 7/19/20)
Impact on Parents
The Los Angeles Times: Should you send your child back to school? Parents are stressed and divided
Weeks before the start of school, Californians are deeply split over whether campuses can safely reopen amid the ongoing coronavirus surge — caught in a collective moment of uncertainty and anxiety also reflected among teachers and education leaders. (Multiple Authors, 7/10/20)
The Washington Post: In virus era, back-to-school plans stress working parents
For many parents today, though, it’s something that’s elemental in a very different way: a safe place that cares for their children while they are at work — or a necessity for them to be able to work at all. (Loller, 7/15/20)
Quartz: Crisis looms for 50 million parents as US states decide how to handle the school year
American parents stand to lose even more productivity—and their minds—as more school districts like Los Angeles limit how many students will return to the classroom for the upcoming school year. This situation could weaken recovery efforts over the long term. (Ho, 7/15/20)
Bloomberg: California School Closing Brings Parent Angst and Economic Worry
Students across most of California won’t be able to attend school in person this fall, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Friday, dealing another setback to efforts at restarting the world’s fifth-largest economy and possibly spurring similar orders nationwide. (Alexander & Baker, 7/17/20)
The Washington Post: This teacher and mother of 3 says she may quit if forced back to school, and so will other educators like her
Heather Mace is a teacher mentor in Arizona, where coronavirus infections are rising, a teacher working in summer school died of the disease and educators are calling on Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to start the 2020-2021 school year online. (Mace, 7/19/20)
The Wall Street Journal: I’m a Parent. And a Bad Teacher. All I Do Is Panic About School.
September is coming—and too many children and educators don’t have a plan. (Gay, 7/20/20)
The Washington Post: Ten things parents could and should do to help schools safely reopen
Our nation’s public schools are by far one of the most important places to reopen during the covid-19 pandemic. (Filardo, 7/21/20)
Pandemic Pods and Inequity
NBC News: Parents are opting to home school their children because of COVID-19, but experts say it might not be for everyone
“Kids need a safe space to feel comfortable learning, and what was being described to me by the school is not good enough for my kids,” one parent said. (Ali, 7/5/20)
The Washington Post: For parents who can afford it, a solution for fall: Bring the teachers to them
Fed up with remote education, parents who can pay have a new plan for fall: import teachers to their homes. (Meckler & Natanson, 7/17/20)
CNN: Covid-19 has parents frantically searching for school alternatives, even if they can’t afford them
Instead of sending his children back to school this fall, Jared Rich wants to create a new kind of learning system. (Maxouris, 7/19/20)
MarketPlace: Parents turn to private “pods” to school children
The situation has become critical as many school districts have announced they will not fully resume in-person classes this fall as coronavirus cases continue to surge. So parents are getting creative, forming “pods” with other families to share the cost and burden of home schooling. (Carino, 7/21/20)
Axios: Parents turn to “pods” as a schooling solution
Neighbors are banding together to hire private instructors as a way to secure child care and make up for some of the gaps online-only classes will leave in their kids’ educations. (Owens & Goo, 7/22/20)
The New York Times: Coronavirus Pods, Microschools and Tutors: Can Parents Really Solve the Education Crisis on Their Own?
As school openings remain in flux, families grapple with big questions about safety, money and politics. (Moyer, 7/22/20)
The Washington Post: The huge problem with education ‘pandemic pods’ suddenly popping up
There is a new thing starting to happen in some places around the country: “Pandemic pods,” which are formed by families who can afford it, team up and pay for a teacher to come instruct their children. (Strauss, 7/22/20)
Hechinger Report: Parents are panicking, giving up their careers and spending thousands of dollars on piecemeal solutions for the school year
‘An unregulated band of rogue mamas’ tries to figure out what to do when schools are closed, jobs are open and child care is nonexistent. (Mader, 7/22/20)
