UW–Madison’s John Diamond shared his thoughts on school reopenings with the Washington Post recently, in an article headlined, “Biden is meeting his modest school-reopening goal — but progress is uneven.”
The article reports “vast unevenness” in school reopening across the country. “The people least likely to be in school are students of color and those living on the coasts,” the article explains. “It’s in communities where Biden’s support is highest that children are most likely to remain at home.”
Diamond, who holds the Kellner Family Distinguished Chair in Urban Education with the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, notes that despite learning losses during the pandemic, many parents of color are more concerned with loss of life.
“A lot of people in communities weigh learning loss versus health and safety and they may choose health and safety over some potential learning loss,” Diamond said. The reasoning, he said: “Kids are resilient and they can make up what they lose, but you can’t do the same with a loss of life.”
Read the full article at washingtonpost.com.