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The Rise Of Pandemic Pod Schooling

A teacher participates in a school Zoom meeting at Freedom Preparatory Academy as they begin to prepare to restart school after it was closed in March due to COVID-19 in Provo, Utah.
A teacher participates in a school Zoom meeting at Freedom Preparatory Academy as they begin to prepare to restart school after it was closed in March due to COVID-19 in Provo, Utah.

With school starting again, states and school districts have been working to retool student learning despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

While some districts are working to bring students back into the classrooms safely this fall, some families are opting out entirely. Across the United States, some parents are choosing to homeschool their children in small learning cooperatives called micro-schools or pandemic pods.

These families are pooling resources together to pay for private teachers responsible for a handful of students, and even physical learning spaces. While that may sound like a safe alternative to in-person learning, critics suggest it’s likely to increase the already stark inequalities in our education system.

What are these schools actually like and how do they work?

This show is a part of our “Homeworked” series. 

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5. To see more, visit WAMU 88.5.

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James Morrison