Reports / Reports

Will Students Come Back?: Parent’s Attitudes to School Re-Opening

More than 8 in 10 parents plan to send their children in person for the 2021-2022 school year

A national survey of more than 2,000 parents in May 2021, conducted by RAND Corporation and commissioned by The Rockefeller Foundation, found that more than eight in 10 parents plan to send their children back to school for in-person learning this fall. The report reveals significant variation in attitudes of parents along racial and ethnic lines. The report also finds that ventilation, mask wearing, and regular testing at schools are among measures that would most support parents’ confidence in their children’s safety.

The survey was designed in-part by members of the State & Territory Alliance for Testing (STAT) who expressed a need for concrete data on parents’ current sentiments toward in-person learning. The final report is the latest in the Foundation’s efforts to provide America’s educators and policymakers with the tools, including research and practical guidebooks, they need to reopen their schools safely and effectively.

  • Report

    School Hesitancy Among Parents and Their Preferences for Covid-19 Safety Practices in Schools

    New research, conducted by RAND Corporation and commissioned by The Rockefeller Foundation, details parents’ preferences for in-person school safety measures and how they differ on racial and ethnic lines. Among key findings: 84 percent of parents plan to send at least some of their children to school in person in the fall, another 12 percent are unsure, and only 5 percent of parents have no plans to do so.
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