Homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic

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There was a resurgence of homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic to help students return to school. Innovative parents sought to create solutions to their individual dilemmas by organizing local groups. These variations of homeschooling include micro schools and educational family co-ops. The first usually involves hired professionals to teach a small group of kids (similar to one-room schoolhouses). The second is a parent-organized co-operative where families take turns educating and minding their kids during the week. Both are largely available only to the well-off, as costs in time and money are high. 'Pandemic pod' is the fashionable term used to describe one of these arrangements where all group members agree to participate under well-defined and strictly enforced health rules.

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Considering the overall racial and ethnic makeup of the U.S. population, and the relative size of each group, minority parents are much more likely to participate in learning pods: [1] Parents identifying as Hispanic have the highest level of participation (22 %), followed by parents identifying as Black (17 %) and Asian (11 %). Among white parents the participation rate was 17 %. In addition, minority parents display significantly more interest in forming or joining learning pods (Hispanic, 29 %; Black, 21 %; Asian, 34 %) compared to white parents (18 %). Furthermore, parents identifying as special needs parents are considerably more likely to have their children in a learning pod (31 %) compared to non-special needs parents (14 %). Finally, parents with younger children (Kindergarten to 4th grade, 21 %; 5th to 8th grade, 24 %) tend to participate more in learning pods compared to parents with older children (9th to 12th grade, 14 %), and parents of younger children also display greater interest in forming or joining learning pods (Kindergarten to 4th grade, 27 %; 9th to 12th grade, 16 %). [1]

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education forced school closures around the world. [2] [3] Parents are left to manage their children and it is causing economic, [4] [5] educational, [6] political [7] [8] [9] and psychological distress. [10] A University of California, San Francisco study states that schools can't open safely until COVID-19 transmission in a general population is under control. [11]

As schools have been closed to cope with the global pandemic, students, parents and educators around the globe have felt the unexpected ripple effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. While governments, frontline workers and health officials are doing their best slowing down the outbreak, education systems are trying to continue imparting quality education for all during these difficult times. Most public schools have turned to online, distance learning in an attempt to re-engage students back into school. Many students at home/living space have undergone psychological and emotional distress and have been unable to engage productively. Lack of social interaction and face to face engagement between students and their teachers, or peers, has decreased student's overall motivation. The requirements placed on parents to fill in the gaps as teachers aids and support the implementation of the curriculum through remote learning left parents questioning the reliability of online education. [12] The best practices for online homeschooling are yet to be explored, and it is unclear if homeschooling, or any other mitigation effort, can prevent students from falling behind. [13]

To mitigate the disruption of school closures, multiple educational structures have been proposed. These terms are used interchangeably and this makes it confusing for parents who are trying to figure out how to organize their lives this fall as most schools will only offer virtual instruction. But basically there are three distinct ideas: pandemic pods, micro schools, and family co-ops. [14] [15]

Pandemic pod

A pandemic pods is a small group of people who are all taking similar precautions against catching the virus. For educational purposes, pandemic pods (also known as learning pods) are a composed group of students who learn together, in person, outside of a traditional school. [16] A family unit living together is a natural pandemic pod — everyone is taking responsibility for everyone else's health outcomes. Learning pods take many forms, but they primarily offer the benefit of a smaller circle of students, which provides comfort from the coronavirus. It also gives the feeling of a more formal schooling option, in which parents can return to work and students could be in a learning environment that's much closer to the traditional setting.

Family co-op

A family co-op is not a pandemic-related entity. Most family co-ops form to ease the economic pressures of child care among several families. Several families get together and agree to share afterschool care of all the kids on certain days. This arrangement frees each set of parents from childcare several times per week. If five families are involved, then each family can take responsibility for all kids once per week. Instead of money, this social arrangement trades in time. Family co-ops is a very old arrangement that has been extensively studied in academic literature. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Canadian family bubble

In early April 2020, Canadian authorities actively encouraged the formation of family bubble — two families (usually with kids) who would join together and share responsibility for each other. [23]

Micro school

A micro school is some variation on the one-room school where parents hire a teacher to educate their children. Micro schools can be as small as just one family hiring a teacher or a group of parents makes arrangements for all of their children together, splitting the costs of such endeavor. The biggest advantage of micro schools is that parents have total control over their children's education, including the choice of teachers. Micro Schools can vary significantly in costs. [24] [25]

Some parents created "school pods" of multiple families or hired tutors to instruct students by zoom. [26]

Pandemic educational family co-op

A pandemic educational family co-op is the cross of all three structures: the micro schools, the family co-ops, and the Pandemic pods. Pandemic educational family co-ops function just like the educational family co-ops but in addition to all of the rest, the pandemic version stresses pandemic precautions within the group. This is the most economical solution for parents that are stuck without "brick and mortar" schools to send their kids during the week. [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeschooling</span> Education of children outside of a school

Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or online teacher, many homeschool families use less formal, more personalized and individualized methods of learning that are not always found in schools. The actual practice of homeschooling varies considerably. The spectrum ranges from highly structured forms based on traditional school lessons to more open, free forms such as unschooling, which is a lesson- and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling. Some families who initially attended a school go through a deschool phase to break away from school habits and prepare for homeschooling. While "homeschooling" is the term commonly used in North America, "home education" is primarily used in Europe and many Commonwealth countries. Homeschooling should not be confused with distance education, which generally refers to the arrangement where the student is educated by and conforms to the requirements of an online school, rather than being educated independently and unrestrictedly by their parents or by themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unschooling</span> Educational method and philosophy; form of homeschooling

Unschooling is an informal learning method that prioritizes learner-chosen activities as a primary means for learning. Unschoolers learn through their natural life experiences including play, household responsibilities, personal interests and curiosity, internships and work experience, travel, books, elective classes, family, mentors, and social interaction. Often considered a lesson- and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling, unschooling encourages exploration of activities initiated by the children themselves, under the belief that the more personal learning is, the more meaningful, well-understood, and therefore useful it is to the child. While unschooled students may occasionally take courses, unschooling questions the usefulness of standard curricula, fixed times at which learning should take place, conventional grading methods and standardized tests, forced contact with children in their own age group, the compulsion to do homework regardless of whether it helps the learner in their individual situation, the effectiveness of listening to and obeying the orders of one authority figure for several hours each day, and other features of traditional schooling.

An alternative school is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional. Such schools offer a wide range of philosophies and teaching methods; some have strong political, scholarly, or philosophical orientations, while others are more ad hoc assemblies of teachers and students dissatisfied with some aspect of mainstream or traditional education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeschooling in the United States</span> Overview of the situation of homeschooling in the United States of America

Homeschooling constitutes the education of about 3.4% of U.S. students as of 2012. The number of homeschoolers in the United States has increased significantly over the past few decades since the end of the 20th century. In the United States, the Supreme Court has ruled that parents have a fundamental right to direct the education of their children. The right to homeschool is not frequently questioned in court, but the amount of state regulation and help that can or should be expected continues to be subject to legal debate.

Microschooling is the reinvention of the one-room school house, where class size is typically smaller than that in most schools and there are mixed-age level groupings. Generally, microschools do not meet all 5 days of the school week, and their schedules look different than a traditional public or private school. Classes can be taught using a flipped classroom approach, a form of blended learning, though not all microschools focus on technology in the same ways. Classes tend to be more impactful due to meeting fewer times in the week. Classes may use instructional methods, ranging from traditional lecture-based approaches to hands-on and activity-based approaches. Microschooling is viewed as a replacement for various school paradigms that are standard worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twinkl</span> Specialist Digital Educational Publisher

Twinkl is an online educational publishing house founded in 2010 and headquartered in Sheffield, England, producing teaching and educational materials. Twinkl was founded by Jonathan Seaton and Susie Seaton. They also produce resources based on movies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MobyMax</span> Educational technology website

MobyMax is an online education program used by grades K-8. MobyMax includes 27 subjects including math, reading, phonics, language, vocabulary, spelling, writing, science, social studies, preparations for state examinations, and more. The program also provides classroom tools such as assessments and progress monitoring and offers games, badges, and contests for the students.

Education in emergencies and conflict areas is the process of teaching and promoting quality education for children, youth, and adults in crisis-affected areas. Such emergency settings include: conflicts, pandemics and disasters caused by natural hazards. Strengthened education systems protects children and youth from attack, abuse, and exploitation, supports peace-building, and provides physical and psychological safety to children. In times of crisis, education helps build resilience and social cohesion across communities, and is fundamental to sustained recovery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education</span>

The COVID-19 pandemic affected educational systems across the world. The number of cases of COVID-19 started to rise in March 2020 and many educational institutions and universities underwent closure. Most countries decided to temporarily close educational institutions in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. UNESCO estimates that at the height of the closures in April 2020, national educational shutdowns affected nearly 1.6 billion students in 200 countries: 94% of the student population and one-fifth of the global population. Closures are estimated to have lasted for an average of 41 weeks. They have had significant negative effects on student learning, which are predicted to have substantial long-term implications for both education and earnings. During the pandemic, education budgets and official aid program budgets for education have decreased.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in the United Kingdom</span>

In March 2020, nurseries, schools, and colleges in the United Kingdom were shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. By 20 March, all schools in the UK had closed for all in-person teaching, except for children of key workers and children considered vulnerable. With children at home, teaching took place online. The emergence of a new variant of COVID-19 in December 2020 led to cancellation of face-to-face teaching across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales the following month.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Odisha</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Odisha, India

The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed in the Indian state of Odisha on 16 March 2020. The state has confirmed 10,00,084 cases, including 9,497 active cases, 9,83,245 recoveries, and 7,289 deaths as of 21 August 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children</span> Overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children

A systematic review notes that children with COVID-19 have milder effects and better prognoses than adults. However, children are susceptible to "multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children" (MIS-C), a rare but life-threatening systemic illness involving persistent fever and extreme inflammation following exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

InternetUrok is educational online platform headquartered in Moscow, Russia. The platform includes an online library for schoolkids, their parents and teachers and a private online school from grades 1 to 11. The platform was founded by Mihail Lazarev in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities</span>

Individuals with disabilities are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and have higher mortality rates compared to those without disabilities. This is particularly true for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, those residing in care facilities, and women with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities face heightened risks of mental health issues related to the pandemic, such as increased feelings of loneliness and isolation. They may also be more vulnerable to domestic violence and abuse during the pandemic. People with disabilities are more likely to experience unemployment as a result of the pandemic and may require changes to the types of accommodations they require for work. Children with disabilities experience complications in their educational programming. Remote learning poses a host of challenges for children with disabilities, including disruptions to physical and occupational therapies and access to assistive technologies.

In Australia, homeschooling is becoming increasingly popular. It is legal in all Australian states and territories, with each having its own regulations around the practice. Distance education is also prevalent for Australians who live in remote, rural areas. There are more than a dozen universities in Australia that support distance education for tertiary studies. Some Australians switch between distance education and classroom teaching. The number of homeschooled children and students who take distance education in Australia is approximately 30,000. The number of registered homeschoolers alone was 21,437 in 2019; this corresponds to 0.5 per cent of the total school population of Australia. In the 2010s, the average growth rate of the practice amounted to 9.4 per cent per year. The largest Christian school of distance education in Australia is the Australian Christian College, which has over 1,700 families with 4,000 students enrolled. Homeschooling generally enjoys a very good reputation in the Australian media and is widely seen as a flexible alternative form of education with good socialization opportunities in the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in the Republic of Ireland</span> Irish school and university closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

On 12 March 2020, all schools, colleges, and childcare facilities in the Republic of Ireland were shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shutdown resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 Leaving Certificate and 2020–2021 Junior Certificate examinations, as well as all 2020–2021 Irish language summer courses in the Gaeltacht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in Ghana</span>

Most governments decided to temporarily close educational institutions in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. As of 12 January 2021, approximately 825 million learners are affected due to school closures in response to the pandemic. According to UNICEF monitoring, 23 countries are implementing nationwide closures and 40 are implementing local closures, impacting about 47 percent of the world's student population. 112 countries' schools are open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in the United States</span>

In 2020, school systems in the United States began to close down in March because of the spread of COVID-19. This was a historic event in the history of the United States schooling system because it forced schools to shut-down. At the very peak of school closures, COVID-19 affected 55.1 million students in 124,000 public and private U.S. schools. The effects of widespread school shut-downs were felt nationwide, and aggravated several social inequalities in gender, technology, educational achievement, and mental health.

In September 1937, amid a polio outbreak in Chicago, Chicago Public Schools undertook a pioneering large-scale program that provided at-home distance education to the city's elementary school students through lessons transmitted by radio broadcasts and materials published in newspapers.

The learning crisis or global learning crisis is a term describing the fact that, despite a large increase in access to schooling, learning outcomes remain poor, especially in developing countries. Worldwide, millions of children who attend school do not acquire basic skills such as literacy and numeracy, and many more are far behind age-appropriate expectations in their national curricula. Proponents argue that this crisis needs to be addressed due to the importance of education in fostering children's development, social mobility, and subsequent opportunities.

References

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  2. ↑ Gonser, Sarah (April 8, 2020). "What Past Education Emergencies Tell Us About Our Future". edutopia. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Coronavirus Impact: Cancellations, closures related to COVID-19 in San Francisco Bay Area". abc7news. July 16, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  4. ↑ Psacharopoulos, George; Patrinos, Harry; Collis, Victoria; Vegas, Emiliana (April 29, 2020). "The COVID-19 cost of school closures". Brookings. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ Lindzon, Jared (March 20, 2020). "School closures are starting, and they'll have far-reaching economic impacts". Fast Company. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  6. ↑ Goldstein, Dana (June 5, 2020). "Research Shows Students Falling Months Behind During Virus Disruptions". The New York Times. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  7. ↑ Peek, Liz (July 17, 2020). "Dems, Teacher Unions Playing Politics With School Closures". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ Perper, Rosie (July 7, 2020). "Trump is pushing to reopen schools, which he claims are closed for political reasons and not to curb the coronavirus' spread". Business Insider. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Growing number of districts decide to start the school year online". EdSource. July 14, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Mental health effects of school closures during COVID-19". The Lancet. April 14, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  11. ↑ Vaziri, Aidin (August 25, 2020). "Coronavirus in the classroom? New UCSF study calculates the odds". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  12. ↑ Fontenelle-Tereshchuk, Daniela (2021). "'Homeschooling' and the COVID-19 Crisis: The Insights of Parents on Curriculum and Remote Learning - Interchange". Interchange. 52 (2): 167–191. doi:10.1007/s10780-021-09420-w. PMC   7891122 . PMID   33623183.
  13. ↑ Pokhrel, Sumitra; Chhetri, Roshan (January 1, 2021). "A Literature Review on Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Teaching and Learning". Higher Education for the Future. 8 (1): 133–141. doi: 10.1177/2347631120983481 . ISSN   2347-6311.
  14. ↑ Werby, Olga (July 24, 2020). "Micro Schools, Pandemic Pods, & Educational Family Co-ops". Supermarket Science. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  15. ↑ Dani, Blum; Miller, Farah (August 18, 2020). "What Parents Need to Know About Learning Pods". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  16. ↑ Watson, Angela (February 14, 2022). Pandemic Pods and Alternative Modes of Education. ISBN   9781793651440 . Retrieved November 29, 2022.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  17. ↑ Coontz, E. K. (1996). "Best kept secrets: Co-op preschool models need to be spread". Rural Cooperatives, 63(1).
  18. ↑ Coontz, E. K. (2003). "Bringing families together: A guide to parent cooperatives". Davis, CA: University of California.
  19. ↑ Dunlap, E. K. (2003). "Family empowerment: one outcome of cooperative preschool education". Child Welfare. 76 (4): 501–18. PMID   9218340.
  20. ↑ Hewes, D. W. (1998). ""It's the camaraderie": A history of parent cooperative preschools". Davis, CA: University of California.
  21. ↑ Oostdam, R.; Hooge, E. (2013). "Making the difference with active parenting; forming educational partnerships between parents and schools". European Journal of Psychology of Education. 28 (2): 337–351. doi: 10.1007/s10212-012-0117-6 . S2CID   54945865.
  22. ↑ Ali, M. A. (2014). "Learning Together: A Case Study for a Cooperative School's Approach to Education". The University of San Francisco.
  23. ↑ Coletta, Amanda (May 8, 2020). "Canadian provinces allow locked-down households to pair up — threatening hurt feelings all around". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  24. ↑ McDonald, Kerry (October 21, 2019). "Micro-School Network Expands Learning Options". Forbes. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  25. ↑ Prothero, Arianna (January 28, 2016). "What Is a Micro School? And Where Can You Find One?". Education Week. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  26. ↑ Spiller, Penny (August 4, 2020). "Coronavirus: How pandemic pods and zutors are changing home-schooling". BBC News. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  27. ↑ McCarthy, Ellen (August 9, 2020). "In 2020, back-to-school shopping means frantically searching for other families to 'bubble up' with". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
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