Western, central and northern Minnesota under windy, dry weather conditions 

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

During his first news conference, President Biden said Thursday that his administration is on track to keep 

 to the nation's parents and caregivers: to reopen the majority of elementary and middle schools for full-time, in-person learning within his first 100 days in office. 

 suggest the president may indeed be on track — but that reopening the nation's schools doesn't mean all students will quickly return to classrooms. Here's a look at the numbers from a 

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

 — reducing its student distancing recommendations from 6 feet down to 3 — it is possible that both numbers rise in the next month, helping Biden reach his goal.

The data, however, tell a few other stories that suggest the nation's schools have a long way to go to emerge from the shadow of this pandemic.

While 42 percent of students attended schools that offered fully in-person learning, just 33 percent of students returned full time. The fact is, many families in communities hit hard by COVID-19 remain reluctant to send their children back to school, even if those schools have reopened. 

, superintendent of a district on Long Island, N.Y., where about a third of her students are still fully remote. "There's a lot of people that are still very wary about being in person. You know, there are those of us who have lost people we love."

What's more, the reopening has been inequitable. Students of color are much more likely to be learning remotely than white students — both because many families of color say they feel less comfortable sending their children back to school at this moment but also because, according to the data, city schools that serve large and diverse student groups are less likely to be open than largely white, rural districts. 

As a result, nearly half of white fourth graders were back in school full time — that's compared with 15 percent of Asian, 28 percent of Black and 33 percent of Hispanic fourth graders.  

Camhi told NPR last week that she was proud to have reopened her classrooms safely — the most important first step in the nation's K-12 recovery. The next step: for all families to feel safe sending their kids back into those classrooms. 

Education News

Cory Turner

Author

The president appears likely to reopen the majority of K-8 schools within his first 100 days in office, but many families are still opting out.

Biden says schools are on track to open as promised, but will kids go?

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox