Nearly 18 percent of parents changed their child’s school, a figure 75 percent higher than historical averages. Thirteen percent also enrolled their child in small learning pods, supplementing regular school. Overall, 2.6 million students exited district and private schools, enrolling in charter schools, homeschooling, micro-schools, and other options.
Author Bruno V. Manno believes three lessons have been learned.
First, many parents don’t want “the old normal.”Two of three parents (66 percent) would rethink “how we educate students, coming up with new ways to teach.”More than half (53 percent) support pods, with black and Hispanic parents (60 percent) more supportive than white parents (53 percent).Nearly eight in 10 (76 percent) want “education funding [to] follow the student to whichever school they or their parents choose.”
Second, parents want K-12 system transparency.
Parents are scrutinizing how K-12 federal pandemic dollars totaling nearly $190 billion will be used. Nine in 10 (91 percent) believe that it’s “extremely important” or “very important” for schools to be transparent on how funds are spent.
Eight in 10 (80 percent) say that it’s “extremely important” or “very important” to get regular updates on how funding affects student performance.
Third, online learning and technology innovation will continue.
The vast majority of parents prefer in-person learning: more than eight in 10 (84 percent) plan on sending at least one child to in-person school full time this fall.
Around 12 percent are unsure, with 5 percent not planning to return their child to in-person schooling. Black and Hispanic parents are nearly three times more likely than white parents to be unsure about returning their child, or resolved on not returning their child, to in-person schooling.
If some Republican politician pays attention to these numbers, and runs on a platform of "education funding to follow the student" to the school their parents choose, public schools could be in a world of hurt. Imagine them needing to be popular with parents as a condition of keeping the doors open, shocking stuff.
