Will Students Come Back?: Parent’s Attitudes to School Re-Opening

A national survey of more than 2,000 parents in May 2021, conducted by RAND Corporation and commissioned by The Rockefeller Foundation, found that more than eight in 10 parents plan to send their children back to school for in-person learning this fall. The report reveals significant variation in attitudes of parents along racial and ethnic lines. The report also finds that ventilation, mask wearing, and regular testing at schools are among measures that would most support parents’ confidence in their children’s safety.

The survey was designed in-part by members of the State & Territory Alliance for Testing (STAT) who expressed a need for concrete data on parents’ current sentiments toward in-person learning. The final report is the latest in the Foundation’s efforts to provide America’s educators and policymakers with the tools, including research and practical guidebooks, they need to reopen their schools safely and effectively.