{"id":53968,"date":"2020-09-11T08:00:50","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T15:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=53968"},"modified":"2020-09-10T14:52:05","modified_gmt":"2020-09-10T21:52:05","slug":"pandemic-pods-may-undermine-promises-of-public-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/pandemic-pods-may-undermine-promises-of-public-education\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Pandemic pods\u2019 may undermine promises of public education"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

With schools reopening after COVID-19 closures, concerns about the\u00a0safety and certainty of public schooling<\/a>\u00a0have driven some parents to consider alternatives to sending kids back to brick-and-mortar classrooms.<\/p>\n

One option\u00a0making headlines is the formation of \u201clearning pods\u201d also known as \u201cpandemic pods.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Pandemic pods are small groups of children from different families who learn together outside of traditional school buildings.<\/p>\n

While pandemic pods may seem relatively harmless, they are part of a growing trend towards education privatization that\u00a0undermines public education and democracy<\/a>. The advent of pandemic pods has been\u00a0facilitated by micro-communities of organized parents<\/a>\u00a0operating in communities across Canada \u2014 where public education has been\u00a0privatizing for decades<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In fact, the\u00a0number of families choosing private schools or homeschooling has increased<\/a>\u00a0and public schools\u2019\u00a0reliance on private funds has become normalized<\/a>. Among other concerns, these shifts point to some parents\u2019 diminishing confidence in governments.<\/p>\n

Private interests first<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Some pods involve parents providing instruction to their own and others\u2019 children; this is simply a version of homeschooling. In other models, multiple families hire a teacher to deliver the curriculum, or parents pay a for-profit business to provide instruction and space for learning. These arrangements are akin to private schooling.<\/p>\n

Another type of pod is one in which families hire someone to help kids as they complete remote instruction provided by a public school board. This model is similar to traditional tutoring to support in-school instruction.<\/p>\n

With all of these approaches, either parents or those they delegate to represent their interests\u00a0participate in the privatization of education<\/a>\u00a0by taking on roles that have traditionally been the responsibility of governments.<\/p>\n

\n

If you're in a #Education<\/a> #Faculty<\/a> in #highered<\/a> anywhere right now, please have a chat with your students about working with #pandemicpods<\/a> & protecting their own interests\/health, etc. Eg https:\/\/t.co\/k8K3pIrYDd<\/a><\/p>\n

— Julia Hengstler (@jhengstler) September 9, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n