Thread by @CityLab

For months, educators, policymakers, health experts and weary parents have debated how to return children to school, and how to do it safely.

They’re now about to see how those plans play out in real life.
bloomberg.com/news/features/…

We decided to explore various back-to-school models and their trade-offs when it comes to coronavirus risk, overall well-being, child development and accessibility to all students.

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Online: As cases continue to climb, more schools in the U.S. will start the fall semester strictly online. Keeping students at home presents the least risky option in terms of Covid-19 exposure. The burden falls largely on teachers to keep engagement.

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In Person: Some schools have ordered complete in-person learning. From a pedagogical standpoint, this is the least disruptive option. Yet even simple distancing measures like spacing out desks become challenging when teachers learn there isn't enough room. trib.al/4LKdOUj

Hybrid: For many school districts, the hybrid model is a compromise between the two. The mixed approach will give students at least some of the face-to-face interaction experts agree is beneficial. But some epidemiologists say it could carry the most risk. trib.al/4LKdOUj

Outdoors: Moving classes outside opens up space for physical distancing and lowers the transmission risk of the virus.

Variable weather and space limitations mean the idea may only work some of the time, and in some places.
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In each model, some groups are disproportionately burdened: Families with fewer resources may have less access to technology and child care, and fewer available spaces for outdoor classes. But in-person classes present extra risks to teachers.

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Pleas for Help: Experts acknowledge that schools are up against a very complex problem that goes beyond the forces within their control.

In the last two weeks of July, more than 97,000 children in the U.S. tested positive for Covid-19.

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