To go to school or not to go to school that is the question.

With reopening schools being a strongly debated topic and in-person learning essential for letting parents go to work in the fall,  a nationally representative School Reopening Survey, found 55 percent of parents want their children to learn in-person.

Key Findings 

  • Some parents can’t stay home; 32 percent of parents are not able to work remotely.
  • Mixed feelings about teacher compensation. Almost 1 in 4 parents believe teachers who work remotely should either get paid less, work longer hours, or give up vacation days.
  • Fathers want schools to open more; 31 percent more fathers than mothers want schools to reopen for in-person learning.
  • Politics impacts reopening opinions. Two-thirds of conservative parents favor schools reopening, versus less than half of liberal parents.

Supervision

Some parents might be asking if they can supervise their kids while working from home if schools hold remote learning.

“A significant share of parents, 32 percent, cannot work remotely. If schools hold remote learning this fall, this may create a difficult situation where some parents will have to choose between leaving their children unsupervised, paying extra for childcare, or taking a leave from work,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst in the news release. “Leaving children home alone might not be especially difficult for high schoolers, but is not an option for young kids.”

Penalized

Also, it was revealed there are some Americans who believe teachers who work remotely should be penalized.

“Almost 1 in 4 Americans think teachers who work remotely should be penalized by either getting paid less, working longer hours or giving up vacation time,” Gonzalez added.  “It’s up to school districts and states, not teachers, whether schools reopen for in-person learning, so it makes sense that the vast majority of Americans don’t think teachers who work remotely should be treated any differently.”

Moms vs. Dads

And there is also a difference between fathers and mothers when it comes to opinions on the reopening of schools, according to the survey conducted by WalletHub.

“About 31 percent more fathers than mothers want schools to reopen for in-person learning this fall,” Gonzalez said. “The divide between fathers and mothers may be partially explained by the fact that women currently make up a smaller percentage of the workforce than men and have been losing their jobs at a greater rate than men during the COVID-19 pandemic. More women than men may be able to at least temporarily supervise children at home.”

Conservatives vs. Liberals

Of course, there is also a different view between conservatives and liberals, and how they differ in their opinions on in-person learning.

“Two-thirds of conservative parents want to have in-person learning this fall, compared to less than half of liberal parents,” Gonzalez said in the news release. “This political divide lines up with what we see among elected officials. The Trump Administration is highly in favor of reopening schools, while Democrats tend to support extending remote learning until we see further reductions in infections.”

For the complete survey results, visit here

Source: WalletHub