Updated Feb. 11
Just what does it mean to 鈥渞eopen schools,鈥� and how precise should leaders and the general public be with their answers?
As President Joe Biden and his administration navigate the political and practical implications of trying to help U.S. schools reopen their doors to students in the first few months of his presidency, the public might be gradually learning that the White House鈥檚 definition of reopening schools doesn鈥檛 perfectly match what many people are picturing.
In December, after winning the election, Biden promised that, 鈥淢y team will work to see that the majority of our schools can be open by the end of my first 100 days,鈥� provided that Congress, states, and local governments give additional funding and support to ensure schools can open safely. In Biden鈥檚 COVID-19 aid proposal that he released in mid-January, he specified that his aim was 鈥渢o open the majority of K-8 schools within the first 100 days鈥� of his administration.
Since Biden鈥檚 inauguration, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has been quizzed regularly about the administration鈥檚 position on the issue. On Tuesday, to add more details about the administration鈥檚 idea of what it means to reopen schools鈥攚hether that meant teachers in classrooms teaching students in classrooms, or whether it just meant kids in classrooms, with teachers at remote locations.
After noting that it meant in-person classes in the majority of schools (without specifying K-8 schools) by day 100 of his presidency, Psaki said, 鈥淭hat means some teaching in classrooms. So at least one day a week. Hopefully it鈥檚 more,鈥� Psaki said, adding that it should occur 鈥渁s much as it is safe [to do] in each school and local district.鈥�
Pressed about the details of that answer, Psaki specified that she meant 鈥渋n-person teaching.鈥�
A clearer, but less-ambitious goal being set?
Perhaps the most important thing to say about Biden鈥檚 goal鈥攁s Psaki articulated it鈥攊s that there are indications the nation鈥檚 schools might have already met it, although a clear answer is elusive at the moment.
An estimate published last month , which tracks various learning models schools are using, 58 percent of the nation鈥檚 K-12 students are getting some kind of in-person instruction. And a December survey by the Center on Reinventing Public Education 68 percent of districts were offering some level of face-to-face instruction. Many districts, of course, have chosen to provide a mixture of hybrid and remote learning, meaning, among other things, that not all students who attend in-person classes necessarily do so five days a week for full school days.
Last week, the Biden administration revealed details about its plan to collect official data directly from school districts covering things like in-person learning, although that data won鈥檛 cover all districts.
The administration, through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is also expected to soon release updated guidance to schools about reopening safely. Educators have been calling on the CDC for months to issue clear and useful guidance for schools, after the mixed signals sent by the Trump administration last year. There was also confusion last week after CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said teacher vaccinations weren鈥檛 a prerequisite for schools to reopen safely; Psaki later said Walensky鈥檚 remarks didn鈥檛 represent CDC policy, even though Walensky made the comments at a White House event.
The Biden administration doesn鈥檛 have the power to order schools to open their doors. But while many parents might be grateful for any sort of return to in-person learning, they also might not be thrilled at the idea that the Biden administration is setting the bar relatively low at just one day of traditional instruction a week. And concerns persist about the long-term impact of school closures on students鈥� academic progress, as well as their physical and mental well-being.
鈥淚t seems like they are making the target less ambiguous, but also less ambitious than what I think many people had interpreted it to mean,鈥� said Martin R. West, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who鈥檚 looked at polling data on reopening schools and written about the issue. 鈥淚 think what it means is parents and advocates hoping for a major federal push to reopen schools in a more robust manner in the 2020-21 school year are going to be disappointed.鈥�
A spokesperson for Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the chairman of the House education committee, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Asked about Psaki鈥檚 remarks, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the chairwoman of the Senate education committee, stressed the need for more resources to help schools and students in a statement Wednesday, and that 鈥渢here鈥檚 no one solution that will ensure safety on its own,鈥� but did not respond directly to Psaki鈥檚 comments. Also on Wednesday, Scott鈥檚 committee advanced legislation that would provide $129 billion in aid to K-12 schools, and which is modeled in part on Biden鈥檚 aid plan for education.
What about superintendents trying to negotiate relatively ambitious timelines for reopening regular classrooms? West said it鈥檚 possible that they 鈥渁re going to be less able to point to federal pressure, or even the use of the bully pulpit by a new administration, to urge educators back into schools.鈥�
Some reporters and observers have focused on Biden鈥檚 close political ties with teachers鈥� unions, which in some urban districts have resisted reopening until they鈥檙e satisfied that schools are safe for students and staff. After bringing up unions鈥� protracted negotiations with urban districts over reopening, whether the Biden administration, in a 鈥渂inary choice,鈥� would side with teachers or students. Psaki dismissed the question, calling it unfair.
Public anger at districts that haven鈥檛 reopened yet amid tense conversations with unions has become a prominent feature of school reopening debates. And some superintendents, like Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson, have stressed that large shares of students, including those with special needs and the children of essential workers, .
At the same time, public opinion surveys indicate that public attitudes about the relationship between unions and shuttered schools isn鈥檛 crystal clear. A survey from the journal Education Next found that a plurality of parents surveyed鈥�46 percent鈥攕aid teachers鈥� unions had a positive affect on schools (an increase from last spring), compared to 30 percent who said they had a negative affect. Some polls have also shown that Black and Latino families are less likely than white families to support sending their children to in-person classes during the pandemic.
West stressed that he respects the Biden administration鈥檚 public approach to the issue, and thinks Biden officials deserve praise for focusing on reopening schools. But he said the Psaki鈥檚 latest comment on this issue isn鈥檛 necessarily shocking.
鈥淭he Biden administration would hardly be the first to set goals that defy easy falsification,鈥� he said.
