And very few people (in the news, in policy circles) are talking about another piece of the Covid experience- the middle school and HS kids who COULD have been learning effectively on Zoom or online (these kids had plenty of digital exposure by the time their schools moved online) but were needed at home to take care of younger siblings while the parents worked (either essential workers or WFH). Apparently the “absenteeism rate” for older students was very high- even in affluent districts where everyone had laptops, internet access, a room with a door you could close. The 5 and 6 year olds who really couldn’t handle online learning were being supervised by their older siblings for all or part of the day. So what’s a parent to do- worry about the 5 year old running outside unsupervised into traffic… or worry about the 14 year old who won’t be on track for trigonometry? Trig lost.
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