Virtual School on Snow Days Is Not Just for the Rich

I think “teleschooling” on snow days is the biggest advancement in education since the Reagan administration reneged on calling ketchup a vegetable in the federal school lunch program. It just makes sense.

I applaud the efforts of the school districts that are embracing this new strategy. I’m jealous, actually.

As exciting and inspiring as this news is, it's yet another story about the great work the white, affluent suburban schools are doing to educate their youth. I kept reading the article, hoping to see mention of one nonselective enrollment Chicago public school that also used remote learning tools during the storm. I saw none, and I’m not surprised.

The success of teleschooling, just like brick-and-mortar schooling, boils down to equity in funding, proper management of the resources a school district has and the willingness of administrators to think outside the box. None of which, I’m pained to say, is in great abundance within the Chicago Public Schools system. When you throw poverty in the mix, advancements like teleschooling seem near impossible.

Consider this: Chicago Public Schools includes 658 schools and 400,000 students, with 87 percent considered low income. Technology within the district is notoriously outdated and plagued with theft and corruption. So before teleschooling can take hold, an infrastructure of checks and balances to prevent abuse or loss of equipment would have to be firmly in place.

Additionally, in my 10 years experience teaching in Chicago, about 25 to 30 percent of my students did not have Internet access in their homes, which further challenges the notion of teleschooling.

Interestingly, Chicago's solution to make up for this year’s four snow days is to turn the three remaining teacher development days into student attendance days and require students to come to school one day during their summer break. Teachers will make up their professional days by starting their summer break three days later.

Postponing summer break certainly won't inspire quality teaching and learning, so teleschooling really is a good idea, not just for snow days but for any time of year.

If done right, this type of instruction could provide students with the technology and independent learning skills that are necessary for a quality 21st-century education. But all students -- not just the privileged few -- should have this rich and creative opportunity to learn.

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