HOUSTON — One of the largest teachers' unions in the country, the American Federation of Teachers, is pushing for a nationwide return to in-person learning this fall.
In some parts of the U.S., virtual learning is still the only option for students. That’s led to a drop in enrollment nationally.
But here in Houston, school districts like Alief ISD are leading by example.
The district tracked a 9 percent drop in enrollment in October 2020. As the school year wraps, the district was able to attract enough students in increase enrollment by 2 percent.
Alief ISD Area Superintendent Patrick Cherry is providing context.
“Our biggest chunk of missing kids, if I had to put a finger on it, would be the Pre-K, K(indergarten) numbers," Cherry said.
Students who are so young, they’re not yet required to attend school. Virtual learning doesn’t necessarily work for a 5-year-old. Neither do face masks.
“So our hope is that that changes next year, and they’ll come back in the fall, that we see these kids resurge back to us,” said Cherry of the 2021-22 school year when face masks will be optional, vaccines will be widely available to teachers, and most students and in-school COVID-19 testing will again be offered to Alief ISD teachers, staff and students.
“We just need them back. So we’re doing everything we can to get them back,” Cherry said. “From parades in neighborhoods to knocking on doors in apartment complexes.”
School administrators across the U.S. are looking to Texas educators for advice.
“Informally, I’ve heard from friends in education, and we always pick each other’s brains,” Cherry said. “I think we figured it out, and we successfully showed that we figured it out overall here in Texas.”