In August, schools began reopening and welcoming parents and children back into the classroom after over a year of remote schooling. Based on our previous survey (spring 2021) on the issues that parents noted as being most problematic –learning loss and social interaction – we wanted to learn if these parental fears had subsided as schooling moved back to primarily in-person and children were able to interact with peers and teachers again. These two areas were still on the minds of our parents, however, new concerns also emerged.
Unfortunately, even though schools and classrooms were open again in the fall, nothing about the first few months of the 2021-2022 school year appeared to be normal. While teachers and adolescents were more likely to be vaccinated, young children were not approved for vaccinations until November of 2021. This meant that many schools started back with varying types of mandates regarding mask-wearing and physical distancing. Some schools had no mandates and others had relatively strict mandates . Our respondents noted several issues, particularly school mandates (compliance issues) as one of the primary areas of frustration in the return to schooling. Concerns ranged from mask wearing and social distancing challenges to lunch and COVID testing protocols.
This data brief is the latest in a series of reports intended to share public opinion results to inform researchers and decision makers with information about attitudes in the United States related to different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suggested Citation: Davis-Kean, P., Ryan, R., & Singh, L. (2021). Nothing is Normal: Schooling During COVID-19. MOSAIC Data Brief: December 2021. Measuring Online Social Attitudes and Information Collaborative.
