Public Support for Educators and In-Person Instruction during the COVID-19 Pandemic. EdWorkingPaper No. 22-575
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| Title: | Public Support for Educators and In-Person Instruction during the COVID-19 Pandemic. EdWorkingPaper No. 22-575 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Houston, David M., Steinberg, Matthew P., Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University |
| Source: | Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2022. |
| Availability: | Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: AISR_Info@brown.edu; Web site: http://www.annenberginstitute.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 49 |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education Elementary Education Kindergarten Primary Education Elementary Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | In Person Learning, COVID-19, Pandemics, School Closing, Political Attitudes, Unions, Teachers, Predictor Variables, Decision Making, Mortality Rate, Correlation, Teacher Attitudes, National Surveys, Educational Attitudes, Teacher Salaries, Public Opinion, Kindergarten, Elementary Secondary Education |
| Abstract: | In spring 2020, nearly every U.S. public school closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Existing evidence suggests that local political partisanship and teachers' union strength were better predictors of fall 2020 school re-opening status than COVID case and death rates. We replicate and extend these analyses using data collected over the entirety of the 2020-21 academic year. We reaffirm that local political partisanship and teachers' union strength were reliable predictors of school re-opening decisions. We also demonstrate that Covid case and death rates were meaningfully associated with initial rates of in-person instruction. We show that all three factors--COVID, partisanship, and teachers' unions--became less predictive of in-person instruction as the school year continued. We then leverage data from two nationally representative surveys of Americans' attitudes toward education and identify an as-yet-undiscussed factor that predicts in-person instruction: public support for increasing teachers' salaries. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2023 |
| Accession Number: | ED625923 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In spring 2020, nearly every U.S. public school closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Existing evidence suggests that local political partisanship and teachers' union strength were better predictors of fall 2020 school re-opening status than COVID case and death rates. We replicate and extend these analyses using data collected over the entirety of the 2020-21 academic year. We reaffirm that local political partisanship and teachers' union strength were reliable predictors of school re-opening decisions. We also demonstrate that Covid case and death rates were meaningfully associated with initial rates of in-person instruction. We show that all three factors--COVID, partisanship, and teachers' unions--became less predictive of in-person instruction as the school year continued. We then leverage data from two nationally representative surveys of Americans' attitudes toward education and identify an as-yet-undiscussed factor that predicts in-person instruction: public support for increasing teachers' salaries. |
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