Families Turn to Homeschooling as the Education Establishment Fumbles Its Pandemic Response | Reason.com - J.D. Tuccille:
July 11, 2020 - "President Donald Trump got a lot of pushback for his criticism of school reopening guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — including from the CDC itself. But even many people who share the CDC's goal of minimizing health risks in the midst of a pandemic agree that the guidelines aren't especially practical....
"'To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, school leaders must ensure social distancing — limiting group sizes, keeping students six feet apart, restricting non-essential visitors, and closing communal spaces. Those measures run counter to how schools usually operate, with teachers and students working together in close quarters, children socializing throughout the day, and the buildings serving as a community gathering space,' Education Week noted in June....
"That has educators across the country scrambling to un-crowd classrooms so that social distance can be maintained. Remote learning via online classes, and hybrid approaches that have kids in school some days and learning remotely on others, are the go-to solutions for now.... 'Some schools, particularly those with ample resources and some experience with remote learning, had a far easier time of it than most,' reports the Wall Street Journal of pandemic-prompted efforts at teaching online. But for most schools, 'it was a failure' because of inexperience with the approach, limited access to technology, and a lack of commitment on the part of participants....
"Unsurprisingly, there's an upswing in families planning to homeschool their kids this fall, either through their own efforts or through dedicated online classes and schools that have experience with remote learning. While it's difficult to track numbers when it comes to homeschooling, 'several states, including Texas, Utah and Washington, have reported sharp upticks in interest,' according to NBC News. North Carolina's website for families announcing plans to homeschool crashed at the beginning of July 'due to an overwhelming submission of Notices of Intent.'
"Parents asked about their reasons for pulling their kids from schools cite both concerns about their kids contracting COVID-19 in the classroom as well as worries that traditional school districts aren't up to the challenges of teaching through remote and hybrid models. They can either place their faith in an education establishment that hasn't earned that sort of trust, or they can experiment with alternatives that have grown increasingly popular in recent years precisely because they satisfy the demand for flexible and effective learning approaches.
"'It looks like the high school is only offering a remote learning options,' a friend who has three teenage daughters and lives outside Chicago told me. 'Could you resend me that list you made of homeschooling resources?' Why, yes. Here it is! A lot of homeschooling options are online, given the low cost involved in delivering complete schools, classes, lectures, and the like over the Internet. The internet can also mean easy ways to order books, tools, and materials for families who prefer hands-on learning.
"Splitting the difference between family-based education and institutional schooling is a growing movement of home- and community-based microschools that deliver lessons to small groups of kids. That allows parents who need to work to pool their resources while ensuring adult supervision. For a monthly fee (or free in Arizona), Prenda offers its curriculum for use by both microschools and by families for their own children.
"Traditional schools right now are fumbling the response to a crisis and convincing much of the public that they are dangerous to children and society. Families fleeing from those schools in search of alternatives are going to prove a tough audience for arguments that kids should be trapped in poorly managed classrooms that aren't up to the latest challenge."
Read more: https://reason.com/2020/07/11/families-turn-to-homeschooling-as-the-education-establishment-fumbles-its-pandemic-response/
July 11, 2020 - "President Donald Trump got a lot of pushback for his criticism of school reopening guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — including from the CDC itself. But even many people who share the CDC's goal of minimizing health risks in the midst of a pandemic agree that the guidelines aren't especially practical....
"'To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, school leaders must ensure social distancing — limiting group sizes, keeping students six feet apart, restricting non-essential visitors, and closing communal spaces. Those measures run counter to how schools usually operate, with teachers and students working together in close quarters, children socializing throughout the day, and the buildings serving as a community gathering space,' Education Week noted in June....
"That has educators across the country scrambling to un-crowd classrooms so that social distance can be maintained. Remote learning via online classes, and hybrid approaches that have kids in school some days and learning remotely on others, are the go-to solutions for now.... 'Some schools, particularly those with ample resources and some experience with remote learning, had a far easier time of it than most,' reports the Wall Street Journal of pandemic-prompted efforts at teaching online. But for most schools, 'it was a failure' because of inexperience with the approach, limited access to technology, and a lack of commitment on the part of participants....
"Unsurprisingly, there's an upswing in families planning to homeschool their kids this fall, either through their own efforts or through dedicated online classes and schools that have experience with remote learning. While it's difficult to track numbers when it comes to homeschooling, 'several states, including Texas, Utah and Washington, have reported sharp upticks in interest,' according to NBC News. North Carolina's website for families announcing plans to homeschool crashed at the beginning of July 'due to an overwhelming submission of Notices of Intent.'
"Parents asked about their reasons for pulling their kids from schools cite both concerns about their kids contracting COVID-19 in the classroom as well as worries that traditional school districts aren't up to the challenges of teaching through remote and hybrid models. They can either place their faith in an education establishment that hasn't earned that sort of trust, or they can experiment with alternatives that have grown increasingly popular in recent years precisely because they satisfy the demand for flexible and effective learning approaches.
"'It looks like the high school is only offering a remote learning options,' a friend who has three teenage daughters and lives outside Chicago told me. 'Could you resend me that list you made of homeschooling resources?' Why, yes. Here it is! A lot of homeschooling options are online, given the low cost involved in delivering complete schools, classes, lectures, and the like over the Internet. The internet can also mean easy ways to order books, tools, and materials for families who prefer hands-on learning.
"Splitting the difference between family-based education and institutional schooling is a growing movement of home- and community-based microschools that deliver lessons to small groups of kids. That allows parents who need to work to pool their resources while ensuring adult supervision. For a monthly fee (or free in Arizona), Prenda offers its curriculum for use by both microschools and by families for their own children.
"Traditional schools right now are fumbling the response to a crisis and convincing much of the public that they are dangerous to children and society. Families fleeing from those schools in search of alternatives are going to prove a tough audience for arguments that kids should be trapped in poorly managed classrooms that aren't up to the latest challenge."
Read more: https://reason.com/2020/07/11/families-turn-to-homeschooling-as-the-education-establishment-fumbles-its-pandemic-response/
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