FEDERAL DATA indicates nearly half of public schools open for classes full time.
WASHINGTON — The first federal data on education during the pandemic finds nearly half of public schools were open for fulltime, face-to-face classes, with white children far more likely than Black, Hispanic or Asian American students to be attending in person.
The data suggests that the nation is close to a goal set by President Joe Biden for a return to school but still a considerable distance from a full return to normalcy.
The survey also raised questions about the quality of education being delivered to children learning from home. About one-third of schools offer two hours or less of live instruction per day for those learning either full- or parttime at home. Some offer none.
The survey results include a representative sample of schools serving fourth- and eighth-grade students, the first attempt by the federal government to assess the state of education since schools closed en masse a year ago. The report also offers the first demographic and regional breakdown of in-person learning.
Biden has made reopening schools a key goal for his early presidency and says he wants a majority of K-8 schools open for full-time, in-person classes by his 100th day in office, at the end of April. The survey, which covered January and, in some cases, February, suggests he’s likely to hit that target. It found 47% of schools serving fourth-graders and 46% serving eighth-graders were open for full in-person instruction.
But the survey also found millions of students still don’t have full-time school available while others opted for remote education.
Overall, 60% of fourth-graders and 68% of eighth-graders were at home at least part of the school week, either fully remote or in hybrid programs that combine time in the classroom — often just a day or two each week — with distance learning.
“We’re a long way from normal,” said Dennis Roche of Burbio, a data firm that has been tracking school reopenings through its own survey. “Offering in-person education is not the only step. It’s a major step, but it’s not the end. You’ve got to get students in the classroom taking advantage of it.”
Educators, parents and policymakers all fear that the prolonged period of remote schooling is taking a significant toll on students’ academic and emotional well-being. Some school districts have been open since August, but others have struggled for months to craft plans that teachers and parents will accept as safe.
Most striking is a wide racial gap. About half of all white students were attending school in person full-time in January, the survey found. But that was true for just 28% of Black students and 33% of Hispanic students.
Rates were lowest among Asian American students, at just 15 %.
The gap reflects differences in what is offered by schools serving students of different races as well as decisions by families.
Big-city districts, which serve more students of color, have been slower to reopen and in many cases do not offer a full-time face-to-face option. Officials said they had not yet analyzed how much offerings versus family preferences influenced the results.
The Education Department released the survey data the same day it announced that it was distributing $81 billion in school assistance from the $1.9 trillion virus relief bill. In an interview, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said the money will allow schools to start hiring additional social workers and counselors, and ensure ventilation systems are safe.
“It gives districts the ability to start planning long- term,” Cardona said. “This is not about turning the lights on only — it’s about ensuring that you can create systems that are ready to meet the needs of students, socially and emotionally.”
Cardona cautioned that the return to normalcy will take time. He said schools must practice social distancing and take other measures to prevent the virus from spreading.
The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education did not respond to questions on how the agency will allocate or otherwise spend the portion of the relief bill funding.
Arkansas’ share of the $81 billion for immediate use in reopening schools and establishing summer learning opportunities is $835,485,222, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s release Wednesday of the allocations.
The $835 million is out of Arkansas’ $1.253 billion coming for schools out of the relief bill.