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With the removal of masks in many public places in the United States and the availability of coronavirus vaccines for Americans 11 years and older, many parents wonder whether their children will eventually return to class this fall.
There are still many variables. Although clinical trials are conducted in children between 6 months and 11 years of age, there is no clear timetable to determine when the vaccine can be widely used for children — and some parents are hesitant to get their young children vaccinated against COVID-19 at all.
Then there are concerns about the spread of new strains like the Delta variant, which may again impose restrictions.
All these factors lead to major uncertainties surrounding the 2021-2022 school year, with some states starting as early as mid-August.
Some governors, such as Phil Murphy of New Jersey, have insisted that after a year of offering blended and distance learning options, face-to-face school education will resume in the fall regardless of student vaccination status.
Science supports these types of back-to-school tasks.a new one Learn Research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that through control of community transmission and moderate mitigation strategies—including teacher vaccination, reduction in class size, and asymptomatic screening—primary schools can be safely reopened.
Economists also insist that the reopening of face-to-face schools and childcare centers is critical to getting American parents back to work and keeping the U.S. recovery on track after a disaster. The number of women leaving the workforce hit a record high Taking care of their children during the coronavirus pandemic.
But while some parents are happy with the prospect of letting their children ride the school bus again, others are worried about the situation this year.
Face-to-face worries
Rhiannon Bettivia, the mother of an elementary-age child in suburban Boston, Massachusetts, is worried that a full reopening in the fall may mean losing the authorization to wear a mask-which may lead her to reassess her son’s best choice.
“My child will not go back to school without wearing a mask,” Bettyvia told Al Jazeera, calling her son’s school wearing masks and social distancing policies “strict but necessary” this year.
“Science shows that they are effective,” she said, adding that she hopes school-age children can continue to wear masks indefinitely.
“I voted for the permanent mask,” Bettyvia said. “I did not miss flu and streptococcal infections this year.”
Students are very flexible… However, we also need to consider what we need to do to make up for the lost learning time, which has a disproportionate impact on children of color.
Other parents worry that vaccines may become mandatory, even parents who usually support vaccines.
“I was vaccinated, but the vaccine trial period is too short for children,” Chris Thomas, the mother of a qualified high school student living in Jersey City, New Jersey, told Al Jazeera.
She is mainly worried about myocarditis, a rare heart infection.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that myocarditis has Happened to 226 people People under 30 who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
With online rumors spreading and there is no official news about whether vaccines are needed or only recommended in many areas, parents find themselves looking for answers and feel like they are stuck.
“The New Normal”
Other parents who watch their children adapt well to distance or blended learning are now looking for a “new normal” in education.
Stride, Inc is a for-profit company that sells online learning solutions to state and local governments. Conducted a survey Qualtrics, a third-party research provider, asked more than 1,000 American parents how the epidemic affected their perceptions of education.
A survey by Stride, Inc found that most American parents believe that schools are not ready to switch from face-to-face learning to online learning again if the pandemic situation requires it. [File: Mary Altaffer/AP Photo]
Nearly two-thirds of the parents of kindergarten to 12th grade students surveyed said that American schools have shown that they are not ready to switch from face-to-face learning to online learning this fall. If necessary, more than 70% said they would consider A hybrid model combining “online learning and face-to-face learning”.
Stride President of Academic Policy and External Affairs Kevin Chavous (Kevin Chavous) told Al Jazeera that the study found that this willingness may stem from concerns about the ability of public schools to quickly switch to distance learning when needed.
In fact, the COVID-19 crisis and education disruption have led to an explosive growth of private education technology solutions for families.
Rebecca Mannis, founder and learning expert of the Ivy League Preparatory Learning Center, said the epidemic provides parents with a unique window to learn about their children’s education while studying at home.
Her Educational Enrichment Center in Manhattan has developed a personalized education plan for students. Mannis has seen how staying at home with children allows parents to understand what they need to do and what they don’t need in the best learning environment.
Mannis told Al Jazeera: “Some kids are actually doing better than in recent years, despite many reasons.” “For some people, this is due to less transition or less homework needs. For some students In other words, parents who are less distracted or travel less in class give them more structure.”
My child will not go back to school without wearing a mask… I vote for wearing a mask permanently. I did not miss the flu and streptococcus infection this year.
Mannis explained that these observations have prompted some parents to consider how to optimize their children’s learning in the new school year, regardless of the COVID-19 problem.
“Even very smart parents are at a loss. They are looking for people who can combine their observations to develop a plan to solve the worries they have seen during this stressful year,” Mannis explained. Added that this may lead to unethical companies appearing and taking action. Advantage.
“Whether it is in Dubai, Dallas, Doha or Deer Valley, the education and tutoring field is largely an unlicensed field, and educators or’homework assistants’ have brought a lot of prejudice to the process,” Mannis Pointed out, and added that quality control may be the biggest concern for parents in the next few years.
Education is not fair
The proliferation of online and face-to-face for-profit enrichment centers has worried some parents and policymakers that they are strengthening a two-tier system where wealthy families will be able to access their affordable resources while leaving other children behind.
Studies have found that the COVID-19 epidemic has exacerbated the education equity crisis, and disadvantaged low-income students are more likely to fall behind.
A kind Learn A California education policy analysis released in April found that although some socioeconomically disadvantaged students have lost their studies, some wealthier students have actually accelerated their studies in the past year.
The report recommends “systematic changes in how schools address the overlapping learning, behavioral, and emotional needs that support effective learning and teaching.”
Some children actually do better than in recent years, despite many reasons. For some people, this is due to less transition or less homework needs. For some students, being less distracted in class or having less parental trips gives them more structure.
Zora Wolfe, director of the K-12 Educational Leadership Program and Associate Professor of Education at Widener University, believes that addressing this inequality is crucial.
“Students are very resilient,” Wolfe told Al Jazeera, adding that “we need to deliberately not go back to what we did in the past” when this doesn’t work.
“However, we also need to consider what we need to do to make up for the lost learning time, which has a disproportionate impact on children of color,” she said.
Studies have found that the COVID-19 epidemic has exacerbated the education equity crisis, disadvantaged, low-income students are more likely to fall behind, and wealthy families are more likely to provide support for online learning [File: Charlie Riedel/AP Photo]
The solution may turn to technology, Ed-Fi Alliance chairman Troy Wheeler told Al Jazeera that this is a non-profit community leadership organization that connects educational stakeholders with data tools.
He believes that relying on data to standardize and compare indicators will be the key to helping ensure fairness.
“Relying on actionable data helps teachers effectively and efficiently guide learners and ensure fair education across models,” Wheeler said. “Then the school district leader will be able to understand the academic status of each student in order to prevent learning losses and ensure good grades.”
Although the upcoming school year may “look” more normal than the 2020 school year—regardless of where the mandatory mask and vaccine requirements may be—the past year may have permanently changed the educational landscape of parents, teachers, and students.
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