Homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic

The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the English-speaking world and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (February 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

There was a resurgence of homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic to help students return to school. Innovative parents sought to create solutions to their individual dilemmas by organizing local groups. These variations of homeschooling include micro schools and educational family co-ops. The first usually involves hired professionals to teach a small group of kids (similar to one-room schoolhouses). The second is a parent-organized co-operative where families take turns educating and minding their kids during the week. Both are largely available only to the well-off, as costs in time and money are high. 'Pandemic pod' is the fashionable term used to describe one of these arrangements where all group members agree to participate under well-defined and strictly enforced health rules.

Considering the overall racial and ethnic makeup of the U.S. population, and the relative size of each group, minority parents are much more likely to participate in learning pods:^[1] Parents identifying as Hispanic have the highest level of participation (22 %), followed by parents identifying as Black (17 %) and Asian (11 %). Among white parents the participation rate was 17 %. In addition, minority parents display significantly more interest in forming or joining learning pods (Hispanic, 29 %; Black, 21 %; Asian, 34 %) compared to white parents (18 %). Furthermore, parents identifying as special needs parents are considerably more likely to have their children in a learning pod (31 %) compared to non-special needs parents (14 %). Finally, parents with younger children (Kindergarten to 4th grade, 21 %; 5th to 8th grade, 24 %) tend to participate more in learning pods compared to parents with older children (9th to 12th grade, 14 %), and parents of younger children also display greater interest in forming or joining learning pods (Kindergarten to 4th grade, 27 %; 9th to 12th grade, 16 %).^[1]

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education forced school closures around the world.^[2][3] Parents are left to manage their children and it is causing economic,^[4][5] educational,^[6] political^[7][8][9] and psychological distress.^[10] A University of California, San Francisco study states that schools can't open safely until COVID-19 transmission in a general population is under control.^[11]

As schools have been closed to cope with the global pandemic, students, parents and educators around the globe have felt the unexpected ripple effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. While governments, frontline workers and health officials are doing their best slowing down the outbreak, education systems are trying to continue imparting quality education for all during these difficult times. Most public schools have turned to online, distance learning in an attempt to re-engage students back into school. Many students at home/living space have undergone psychological and emotional distress and have been unable to engage productively. Lack of social interaction and face to face engagement between students and their teachers, or peers, has decreased student's overall motivation. The requirements placed on parents to fill in the gaps as teachers aids and support the implementation of the curriculum through remote learning left parents questioning the reliability of online education.^[12] The best practices for online homeschooling are yet to be explored, and it is unclear if homeschooling, or any other mitigation effort, can prevent students from falling behind.^[13]

To mitigate the disruption of school closures, multiple educational structures have been proposed. These terms are used interchangeably and this makes it confusing for parents who are trying to figure out how to organize their lives this fall as most schools will only offer virtual instruction. But basically there are three distinct ideas: pandemic pods, micro schools, and family co-ops.^[14][15]