It is a major staffing challenge for districts to simultaneously offer both traditional and online classes. Before the pandemic, teachers’ unions were typically harsh critics of virtual learning, which they called inherently inferior. But with some teachers still hesitant to return to full classrooms, even post-vaccination, many unions have said parents should continue to have the choice to opt out of in-person learning.
Fascinating to watch some cities like New York end LFH, and require all students to be full-time in classrooms, While other cities support a mix of choices for kids and parents, including a LFH full-time option.
Someday there will be reports and studies available providing information about how these decisions are being made. Note the comment on Teacher’s Unions who have been of two minds on LFH options: first against, then favoring, and who knows what tomorrow will bring for their policy politics. There’s some new reasons for teacher’s unions to support ambitious blended learning options, as staffing apparently needs to increase to offer quality blended, and unions like to increase jobs.
The federal government has, along with some states, made promises about providing affordable broadband, of sorts, to support LFH infrastructure. In addition there’s funding for learning tech tools that enable more fully developed “blended learning/ LFH”.
As with the Obama administration’s stimulus bill that had elements supporting those two parts of LFH, the proof is in the pudding. Blended learning technology is slowed by bureaucracies in place, and promises and plans that go unfulfilled. So one’s optimism is tempered.
from NY Times:
States and cities across the U.S. debate the future of online learning. - The New York Times