September 4, 2020 5:33 pm Coronavirus Effect On Back To School
Written by – Admissions Expert, Dr. Lowe
It’s Back-To-School season! As we enter the seventh month of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on secondary education, many of our clients, private as well as public school administrators and teachers are reporting to us their potential approaches to education in the current COVID-19 environment.
Some parents are forming learning pods. Some parents are hiring tutors to supplement online learning at schools that are fully online. Some parents are forgoing traditional schools that will be open in favor of homeschooling. Some parents have elected to build on their lots to provide their own “private” schools with virtual classrooms.
We are also seeing parents who have sent their children to suburban public schools switching to private day and boarding schools, many of which have spent the late spring and summer busily preparing new rules, procedures, and protocols, while improving HVAC systems and technology for the new term.
Many elite private day and boarding schools, with their immense resources, have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic with online classes, or for in-person schooling, using COVID-19 specific guidelines for social distance spacing, upgrading ventilation systems and adding antibacterial film on desks, handrails and doorknobs. Some have purchased new buildings or adapted old ones to accommodate spacing guidelines. As many are aware, private schools have seen a flurry of new interest from families who view private schools as being better equipped to provide robust instruction, given their financial resources, space and nimbleness in adapting.
According to a recent survey of members by the National Association of Independent Schools, nationwide, 40% of independent schools planned to open fully in-person this fall, 19% fully online, and 41% in a hybrid model. By contrast, most of the country’s 20 largest public districts expect to start with only remote instruction.
Regardless of the approach, as high school seniors and juniors are beginning to return to schools, it will be important for them to maintain their focus on their educational goals. When the dust settles and students are into their educational routines, high school seniors and juniors will need to consider how college admissions and their school counseling landscape has been disrupted and changed in this unfamiliar environment. Much has changed! It will be important to keep abreast of the changes and understand how this new environment and uncertainty applies to future educational goals.
To learn more about Dr. Lowe and his unique college admissions advisory services, please review this video.
“Admissions is a competitive sport! Why gamble with uncertainty?” – Dr. Paul Lowe
“Parents hire us because they choose to pay an admissions expert who will help them avoid making mistakes.” – Dr. Paul Lowe
Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Greenwich Admissions Advisors. Tel. (203) 542-7288, and founder affiliates – Ivy League Admissions Advisors and Private School Admissions Advisors of the Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network.
Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive service for families and students who are interested in applying to top private schools, Ivy League and highly selective colleges and combined BS/MD programs. Dr. Lowe also helps students gain admissions into their top choice private schools and colleges after they have been wait-listed and rejected.