Despite pulling her daughter out of virtual learning in favor of home schooling a month into the school year, Ashley Zimmerman still believes public education is good.
But, is Zimmerman ready to send her first-grader back to Ann Arbor Public Schools whenever the district deems it safe to return to in-person classes?
“I am afraid that they are going to need to rebuild trust,” Zimmerman said, adding that her daughter’s reading skills have made marked progress under her home teaching.
“I need to see them adjusting to what has happened in our children in this crisis of education that the virtual learning platform has created. I need to see that they’re doing a good job with the education gap having widened and many of the equity issues that have only become worse.”
Zimmerman isn’t alone in weighing whether her child will return to public school when it’s safe to do so.
Michigan schools have lost around 53,200 students this fall, according to enrollment figures verified by the Center for Education and Performance Information. The number of registered and approved home schools, however, has grown from 290 in 2019-20 to 622 this year.
“Many parents have chosen to homeschool their children rather than use virtual or remote learning through a local school district or public school academy,” State Superintendent Michael Rice said. “Some feel that, since they themselves may be home with their children, this is an opportunity for them to connect additionally with their children. Some believe that they can offer a stronger, more consistent experience than schools can at this moment at a distance.”
Saline Area Schools, a district of around 5,000 students, saw 225 students exit since the COVID-19 pandemic ended in-person school in March, Superintendent Scot Graden said. The families of 74 of those students said they planned to home school their children, with the pandemic cited as the reason for their decision.
Graden anticipates some of those students will return. But right now, it’s too early to speculate if and when, based on how uncertain the current education landscape is, he said.
