Many parents uncomfortable with sending children back to school this fall, survey finds

January 25, 2022 Post a Comment

In late spring, it appeared the Us had begun to "flatten the curve" of coronavirus spread. Yet, summer months have brought a large increase in the number of confirmed cases in many states.

coronavirus cases chart — *Paradigm courtesy of the Center for Illness Control (CDC).*

With this contempo uptick, information technology seems likely that many schools will operate on a partial or completely remote learning model for the fall. All the same, there is much uncertainty about exactly what school will look like for the 2020-2021 schoolhouse yr.

A land-by-country breakdown of school reopening plans shows many states still have "no specific guidance" nearly the school agenda, pupil expectations, safety and sanitation standards, and the work of school support personnel.

Most state plans are in progress or include some general guidelines that districts demand to meet for re-opening. In many cases, the of import details are left up to the determination of local school districts.

With all this in heed, parents in the Outschool community recently shared their experiences with navigating school closures in the spring and their concerns virtually sending children back to school in the fall.

Our survey included over ane,100 parents who recently signed up for an Outschool account. The results have important implications for families, teachers, and school administrators beyond the country.

It's important to note that the vast majority of this grouping sent their kids to public school during the 2019-2020 school year where 97% of those schools closed due to Covid-nineteen this past spring.

Here are some of the well-nigh important findings from the survey:

Nearly 2/three of parents (61%) are not comfortable sending their children back to schoolhouse in the autumn until a vaccine is found
Nigh 40% of parents said school closures made them more likely to consider homeschooling their children in the future
60% of parents rated their kid's remote learning experience as boilerplate or beneath boilerplate (a 3 or below on a five-point scale)
Nigh one-half of respondents (46%) said their school has not communicated a plan for bringing their child to school in the fall

Parents also shared their hopes and concerns in the Outschool Online Learning Community, with comments echoing the findings in the survey.

Responses shared a theme of dubiety about the future. "Our biggest concern is balancing work with uncertain schools and being more involved in our kid'due south education," Alison Sayer-Butler said.

Besides the uneasiness that comes with not knowing if schools will open up, parents are also concerned well-nigh their children's progress. Kids depend on the social support that live learning brings, both from peers and teachers.

"I am worried that [my daughter] will fall behind without the right kind of support. She is a very social kid and being able to interact with the teacher is very of import to her style of learning," Kirsten Langwick-Temples said.

Now that parents have already experienced at least a quarter schoolhouse yr as remote learning, they accept a better sense of what to look. This makes some aware of the areas where they may have to "fill gaps" in remote learning.

"If we are however remote for even half the time, I will need assistance filling gaps that inevitably happen. For instance, our brick and mortar school did great with math remotely, merely writing really cruel off the radar," Jenny Gill said.

It's articulate that parents have several valid, lingering questions, including:

Did my child make academic progress during quarantine?
Where volition they be compared to the other kids this fall?
How can I support my child in having consistent, meaningful social interactions with other children while still following health guidelines?
My kids are bored! What opportunities are there for kids to have fun at habitation while still making progress academically?

And dissimilar this spring, parents know what's coming if schools close. Many felt the challenge of educating kids at dwelling, oftentimes while working or caring for other children.

Fortunately, families have learned virtually the wealth of options bachelor to assist them navigate homeschooling or a hybrid approach that they develop themselves.

Outschool can help span the gap with flexible options for every family unit'south needs:

Browse semester courses where learners dive deep into subjects and develop skills
Explore weekly ongoing classes where learners talk over favorite topics and bail over shared interests
Read the How Nosotros Outschool profile of Nicole Olson, a mother of four who practices Unschooling

While the details of the 2020-2021 school year are notwithstanding hazy, i affair is clear: parents are thinking advisedly about their decision to send their children back to school.