UW–Madison’s Craig Albers shared his thoughts on the stress parents are experiencing making school decisions this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a news report for WSAW-TV in Wausau.
Albers, an associate professor with the School of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology and co-director of the Rural Education Research and Implementation Center (RERIC), spoke about the unique concerns that families in rural areas face because there are fewer employment options.
“Within a larger community, there may be additional opportunities to pick up different types of employment or part time employment, and some of these opportunities are just not present in rural communities,” Albers tells WSAW. “We’ve had conversations with (rural school districts), and there’s also a significant concern in regards to families who really will struggle if their kids are not able to go to school.”
Albers also acknowledged parents’ concerns about what their children are missing out on if they are not in school.
“There is significant concern about what students are losing if they are not in the classroom with their peers,” Albers said. “Kids are resilient. They, for the most part, will adapt. But it still doesn’t make it any easier to think about what our children are missing out on.”
Access the full report on WSAW-TV’s website, here.