>> BY THIS TUESDAY, JUST ABOUT
EVERYONE WILL BE BACK TO SCHOOL
WHETHER THAT MEANS LEAVING THE
HOUSE OR NOT.
EVERY DISTRICT AND FAMILY HAD TO
MAKE TOUGH CHOICES THIS YEAR.
WHAT HAS THE PANDEMIC REVEALED
ABOUT OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM?
MY NEXT GUEST IS ERIN EINHORN
AND SHE WRITES ABOUT THE RACIAL
DISPARITIES THAT COME WITH IT.
SHE’S A NATIONAL REPORTER WITH
NBC NEWS AND BEFORE THAT FOUNDER
OF CHALK BEAT DETROIT.
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING ABOUT HOW
THE BACK TO SCHOOL JOURNEY IS
GOING SO FAR AND HAS IT EXPOSED
THE RACIAL DISPARITIES MANY
THOUGHT IT WOULD?
>> I MEAN, I’M NOT HEARING A LOT
OF ENTHUSIASM ABOUT HOW GREAT
IT’S GOING, I CAN SAY THAT FOR
SURE.
AND ACTUALLY, MY KIDS WENT BACK
TO SCHOOL VIRTUALLY LAST WEEK
AND I CAN TELL YOU FROM FIRST
PERSON EXPERIENCE IT’S NOT GOING
WELL.
IT’S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE
CHALLENGING.
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY.
THERE ARE VERY FEW SCHOOLS, VERY
FEW TEACHERS AND PARENTS WHO
WILL TELL YOU THAT THIS IS, THAT
THIS IS WHAT WE WANT.
THAT WE’RE--
THAT IT’S GOING WELL OR THAT
IT’S SERVING ALL CHILDREN WELL.
YOU ASKED ABOUT RACIAL
DISPARITIES AND ECONOMIC
DISPARITIES, AND FOR SURE THE
KIDS WITH THE FEWEST RESOURCES
ARE THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO
STRUGGLE THE MOST.
>> AS THE SUMMER WENT ON AND WE
WERE BUILDING UP TO THIS AND I
TALKED TO, OR COVERED AT LEAST A
FEW STORIES OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS
HAVING THOSE BATTLES AND IT
REALLY WAS DISHEARTENING TO HEAR
HOW IT WAS PARENTS VERSUS
TEACHERS IN A LOT OF WAYS.
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT CAN BE
REMEDIED OR HOW IS THAT
RELATIONSHIP GOING TO, I GUESS,
BE MORE AMPLIFIED AS A LOT OF
KIDS ARE GOING FROM HOME?
>> I MEAN, YOU KNOW, TO SOME
EXTENT IT’S PARENTS VERSUS
TEACHERS.
TO OTHER EXTENT IT’S PARENTS
VERSUS THEMSELVES.
YOU KNOW, IN DISTRICTS THAT HAVE
A CHOICE AND NOT ALL DISTRICTS
DO.
SO, 20, YOU KNOW, IN MICHIGAN, I
THINK IT’S 20, 25% OF DISTRICTS
AREN’T OFFERING AN IN-PERSON
OPTION AT ALL.
SOME DISTRICTS ARE VIRTUAL, YOU
DON’T HAVE A CHOICE.
SOME DISTRICTS, PARTICULARLY UP
NORTH WHERE IN-PERSON IS THE
ONLY OPTION.
THE MAJORITY OF DISTRICTS ARE
GIVING PARENTS A CHOICE, RIGHT?
SOME IS HYBRID, MAYBE TWO DAYS
IN THE CLASSROOM AND THREE DAYS
AT HOME OR CHOOSE BETWEEN FIVE
DAYS IN THE CLASSROOM AND FIVE
AT HOME.
IN A FAMILY YOU MIGHT HAVE ONE
PARENT WHO HAS GOT A PREEXISTING
CONDITION OR GRANT PARENT IN THE
HOME AT HIGH RISK FOR GETTING
THE CORONAVIRUS, BUT AT THE SAME
TIME THE FAMILY MIGHT KNOW THAT
YOU KNOW, THEIR CHILD IS
STRUGGLING TO LEARN TO READ OR
THEIR CHILD HAS SPECIAL NEEDS
AND REALLY NEEDS THAT IN-PERSON
ATTENTION AND ALL KIDS NEED THE IN-PERSON ATTENTION, NOBODY’S
IN-PERSON ATTENTION, NOBODY’S
GOING TO DISPUTE THAT WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF A FEW KIDS THAT
THRIVE ONLINE.
YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE CHOICES IS
MY CHILD’S EDUCATION WORTH
EXPOSING MY FAMILY TO THAT RISK.
AND WITH TEACHERS, YOU KNOW,
THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE A--
IS MY JOB WORTH EXPOSING ME AND
MY FAMILY TO THE RISK.
IT’S CHOICES THAT WE ALL HAVE TO
GRAPPLE WITH.
UNTIL THE PANDEMIC IS OVER, I
DON’T KNOW THAT SCHOOL WILL BE
WHAT IT SHOULD BE WITHOUT THAT
ANXIETY LEVEL.
>> SURE.
AND AS A PARENT, I WANT TO ASK
WHAT YOUR BIGGEST--
YOU SAID IT’S NOT GOING GREAT
YET FOR YOUR KIDS, BUT WHAT’S
YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
AS A REPORTER, HOW DO YOU SEE
THIS PLAYING OUT AS WE GO
THROUGH THE SCHOOL YEAR?
>> I MEAN, YOU KNOW, MY BIGGEST
FEAR AS A PARENT, IT WILL BE A
LOST YEAR.
AND I HEAR--
I HAVE BEEN TALKING TO A LOT OF
PARENTS IN DETROIT AND AROUND
THE COUNTRY WHO ARE JUST SAYING,
YOU KNOW, IS MY KID GOING TO
LEARN ANYTHING THIS YEAR?
MY CASE, MY KIDS ARE LITTLE, A
FIRST GRADER AND A THIRD GRADER.
THE FIRST GRADER, WE’VE PUT THE
ZOOM MEETING IN FRONT OF HIM AND
HE CLICKS AND HE’S OUT.
AND THAT’S THE FIRST WEEK,
HOPEFULLY HE’LL COME AROUND AND
THIS IS, NOW, AND MY FAMILY, WE
HAVE--
WE’RE HOME, MY HUSBAND AND I ARE
WORKING FROM HOME AND TWO
PARENTS AND WE HAVE THE WI-FI
AND WE HAVE THE DEVICES, WE HAVE
ALL THE THINGS WE NEED TO MAKE
IT WORK, AND WE’RE STRUGGLING,
RIGHT?
NOW IMAGINE IT’S A SINGLE PARENT
WHO’S GOT A JOB WORKING THE
NIGHT SHIFT OR ISN’T HOME DURING
THE DAY, OR DOESN’T HAVE, YOU
KNOW, THAT DATA CONNECTION OR
DOESN’T HAVE THE DEVICE OR LIKE,
SPOTTY INTERNET, RIGHT?
SO YOU SIGN IN FOR YOUR CLASS
AND IT’S NOT GOING TO CONNECT
AND THEN YOU HAVE TEACHERS,
RIGHT?
A LOT OF TEACHERS ARE ASKED TO
TEACH THEIR CLASS BOTH TO THE
AT-HOME KIDS AND IN THE ROOM
KIDS AND THEY HAVE TO
ESSENTIALLY WRITE THE CURRICULUM
TWICE.
YOU CAN’T JUST STAND IN FRONT OF
A CAMERA AND TEACH THE SAME
CLASS ONLINE, THAT YOU WOULD IN
THE CLASSROOM.
IT’S GOT TO BE DIFFERENT IF
YOU’RE GOING TO DO IT WELL AND
YOU KNOW, SOME DISTRICTS HAVE
INVESTED IN TRAINING THEIR
TEACHERS FOR THIS.
OTHERS DON’T HAVE THE RESOURCES,
OTHERS DIDN’T HAVE TIME.
SOME DISTRICTS WERE PLANNING TO
GO FACE-TO-FACE RIGHT UP UNTIL A
COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WHEN THEY
PULLED THE PLUG ON THAT AND IT’S
BEEN REALLY HARD FOR SCHOOLS TO
PLAN WITHOUT REALLY KNOWING, YOU
KNOW, WHAT THINGS WERE GOING TO
HAPPEN.
YOU KNOW, AND EVEN ACTUALLY
DISTRICTS THAT HAVE OPENED, THEY
COULD HAVE AN INFECTION OR THEY
COULD HAVE A POSITIVE TEST NEXT
WEEK AND SUDDENLY BE VIRTUAL.
AND THEN THEY’VE PLANNED FOR
IN-PERSON AND THE TEACHERS WROTE
CURRICULUM FOR IN-PERSON AND NOW
THEY’RE NOT INTERN ANYMORE.
I DON’T THINK THAT ANYBODY HAS
THE ANSWER ON WHAT IT SHOULD
LOOK LIKE BECAUSE HOPING IT WILL
END.
>> JASON: RIGHT, TO THINK OF
KIDS PLAYING AROUND AND NOT
GOING TO ZOOM MEETINGS, BUT
SCARY WHEN THEY NEED THAT.
I’VE GOT 30 SECONDS, LET ME ASK
YOU, THE SCHOOLS OR THE
DISTRICTS INNER PERSON LEARNING
THAT HAVE PUSHED FORWARD.
DO WE REALLY THINK THEY HAVE A
PLAN, IF AN OUTBREAK HAPPENS
THERE?
>> I MEAN, IT’S GOING TO BE
DISTRICT BY DISTRICT.
I KNOW THAT DISTRICTS HAD TO
SUBMIT PLANS TO THE STATE.
OF COURSE, THEY’VE GOT TO HAVE
THE MASK AND THE SCATTERED
SHOWERING AND A PLAN FOR AN
INFECTION, BUT LIKE EVERYTHING,
SOME PEOPLE ARE--
SOME DISTRICTS ARE GOING TO BE
BETTER PREPARED THAN OTHERS, AND
YOU KNOW, SOME HAVE MORE
RESOURCES THAN OTHERS AND THAT’S
JUST HOW OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM
WORKS.
WE’LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
I’M SURE WE’RE GOING TO HEAR
LOTS AND LOTS OF COMPLAINTS,
PROBABLY THE PLACES WHERE IT’S
GOING WELL, WE MAY NOT HEAR AND
THEY MAY NOT MAKE AS MUCH NOISE.
AND SOME WHERE IT’S GOING TO GO
PERFECTLY, BUT, I MEAN, WE
SHOULD BE--
WE SHOULD ALL BRACE OURSELVES.
>> WE’RE DEFINITELY BRACING
OURSELVES AND ROOTING FOR KIDS
FOR SURE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, WE
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.