Education Minnesota survey: Majority of educators favor distance learning; official decision for school year expected July 30

Tommy Wiita

[anvplayer video=”4944205″ station=”998122″]

Education Minnesota released survey results that included responses from more than 20,500 members on Thursday about how to approach the upcoming school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The results show the preference educators have between distance learning and in-person learning for the 2020-2021 school year.

According to the results, 49% said they are most comfortable with continuing distance learning. However, 46% said they were comfortable with at least some in-person learning, at least until more disease-prevention measures are put in place to protect the members of their school communities and the educators’ own families.

The survey also found educators of color are even more concerned about the dangers of delivering in-person education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results reinforce Education Minnesota’s demand that racial equity be part of any decision about how learning will happen this fall.

"We all know where you live, where you work, where you play, it effects your helath, and person of color much differently than for white persons," said Sizi Goya, a math teacher in Brooklyn Center.

[KSTP]

The union asked its members to take an online survey from July 16 to July 20. Nearly 24%, or 20,524, of the union’s membership responded. The demographics of the survey-takers closely matched the demographics of the state’s educators as a whole, with 95% of them identifying as white and 5% identifying as educators of color.

The following is a breakdown of the survey results:

  • Distance learning: 49%
  • Hybrid classes: 29%
  • In-person instruction: 17%
  • Other: 5%

The most common reasons given for the preference of distance learning were concerns about the physical health of the school community and their families. Among all survey takers, 8,200 (nearly 40%) said they were in a high-risk category for COVID-19. Another 9,579 (47%) are the primary caretaker for someone at a higher risk.

"If school buildings open to all students the spread of this virus is inevitable, the only questions are when and how widespread those outbreaks will be," said Tiffany Dittrich, a language arts teacher in White Bear Lake.

Among educators who identified themselves as people of color, the preference for distance learning was even greater than the group as a whole. The following is a breakdown of those who support distance learning:

  • Native American/Indigenous: 74%
  • Asian American: 66%
  • Black/African American: 63%
  • Latinx: 61%
  • White: 49%
  • Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 44%

One area of the consensus among educators who responded to the survey was the need for schools to spend millions of dollars to meet the guidelines of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the recommendations of the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). These include extra care for the physical layout, air circulation and cleaning of the building. Educators also want additional supports for the members of the school community.

The following shows the results of what educators value as most important:

  • Daily deep cleaning: 85% believe it’s very important; 13% said somewhat important.
  • Additional precautions: 86% believe it’s very important; 11% said somewhat important.
  • PPE and training, staff/students: 80% believe it’s very important; 14% said somewhat important.
  • Mental health staff/students: 78% believe it’s very important; 18% said somewhat important.
  • Staff and student distancing: 74% believe it’s very important; 18% said somewhat important.

"If Minnesota decides to conduct in person learning or a hybrid model this fall, increased cleaning is going to require additional custodial staff, and getting this right will take more resources not less," shared Steve Miltich, a school custodian in Orono.

According to the survey results, altruism was the most common reason for educators to say they prefer in-person learning this fall. Of the educators who preferred in-person instruction, 66% listed concern for "at-risk" students as their driving factor, even if the choice puts the educators’ own health at risk. Twenty-five percent of respondents listed "need to reopen economy" as a reason to resume in-person classes.

Parents and educators rallied with a car parade around the state Capitol after sharing the survey results Thursday, hoping the governor hears them.

"We have to readjust our expectations, our empathy, our everything," said mother of three, Katie Dohman.

"I am asking the governor to trust the data, remember his time in the classroom, and trust his gut," she added.

The Department of Education says it is expecting to make an announcement surrounding the upcoming school year on July 30.

Education Minnesota concluded the survey results with the following statement:

"No matter what we look like or where we come from, Education Minnesota believes most educators and parents want to get back to in-person education, but only if the whole school community can learn, teach and work in safety during this pandemic. Unfortunately, instead of coming together to get schools the equipment and support they need, certain politicians are pushing the risky policy of returning students to school buildings too soon, just as leaders in Texas and Florida re-opened too soon and sickened and killed hundreds of people, with the burden falling heaviest on communities of color. We can do better in Minnesota, but only if we can come together and find the resources and make the policies — based on the latest data and best science — to reopen school buildings when in-person learning is safe and sustainable for everyone, from everywhere, with no exceptions."

More from KSTP:

Deadline approaching for Minnesota students to receive special COVID-19 food funds

Cost of ensuring school safety complicates reopening plans