Homeschooling

I know numerous ten-year-olds who absolutely love homeschooling. They attend to their schooling at home and don’t go AWOL. Learning at home, true homeschooling, is the blessing of remote learning. Attendance isn’t an issue when a parent takes back education. So, here’s my recommendation to teachers who genuinely care about their students’ learning: Please don’t be influenced by mainstream media on education. Don’t focus solely on strategizing and measuring attendance rates. Instead, strategize and measure what truly matters: whether your district-selected curriculum in math, reading, English, history, science, art, and music effectively teaches students how to read, do math, write, and think independently.

With school closures on the rise, educators need to think strategically about measuring and encouraging learning. When we consider parent participation rates in their students’ education, several lessons emerge:

First, involve parents in the school system once again.

Second, implement early warning metrics that focus on improving literacy rates, preventing dropouts, and increasing the likelihood of students graduating with proficiency in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Third, educate parents on how they can support their child’s learning at home. Research strongly suggests that teachers often underestimate parents’ abilities to teach their children at home. Sending low-cost mailings to correct these perceptions can enhance teacher instruction. Additionally, using language in these communications that emphasizes parental tutoring and highlights the positive effects of home-based learning can be particularly effective.

Fourth, many at-home learning programs are designed to improve mastery in reading and math. Concentrating on these skills is essential because strong scientific evidence shows that proficiency in these subjects leads to increased student learning and greater willingness to attend school. Therefore, successful programs that aim to enhance parent-teacher collaboration and strengthen the bond between parents and schools or teachers are crucial for improving student success rates, and literature supports this conclusion.

Remote learning, or learning at home, may leave some families vulnerable to mental health issues, especially those who have lost their jobs. Lockdowns, social distancing, and mask-wearing can take a toll on family dynamics. Neighborhood schools might consider purchasing books like “Staying Positive,” “Be Strong,” and “Be Brave” to address family social-emotional skills. Usborne Books & More offers a wide range of resources for addressing the impact of COVID-19. For instance, they have authorized live online read-aloud sessions of their books until June, and these books have consistently shown positive results in family mental health and achievement metrics.

Dropout rates have consistently risen since 1992, not solely because of remote learning but largely due to students scoring below average in reading. Low reading proficiency is a leading indicator of dropout rates. The majority of dropouts come from low-income families and single-parent households.

The stakes are high. Districts have been preoccupied with reopening schools, hybrid learning, and managing COVID-19 cases among staff and students. However, given the dwindling hopes for in-person instruction, now is the time to shift education control back to the local level. In other words, districts should divide themselves into smaller units and grant parents and teachers the right to choose the curriculum that best suits each child’s needs.

I believe that COVID-19 presents a unique opportunity for parents to regain control over their children’s education.