In an exclusive USA TODAY/Ipsos poll, 1 in 5 teachers say they are unlikely to go back to school if their classrooms reopen in the fall, a potential massive wave of resignations. Though most teachers report working more than usual, nearly two-thirds say they haven’t been able to properly do their jobs in an educational system upended by the coronavirus.

A separate poll of parents with at least one child in grades K-12 finds that 6in 10 say they would be likely to pursue at-home learning options instead of sending back their children this fall. Nearly a third of parents, 30%, say they are “very likely” to do that.

The surveys underscore how concerns about the coronavirus will complicate efforts to resume daily routines in American life, from work to leisure to commerce, at least until a vaccine is widely available.

The challenges in the past few months have sometimes been overwhelming, the language arts teacher said in a follow-up interview. “I feel very disconnected from my students,” she said, “and I feel like they’re falling behind.”

To explore the views of teachers and parents, USA TODAY and Ipsos conducted parallel online polls May 18-21.

Among key findings:

Teachers are struggling

Almost all of them, 83%, say they are having a harder time doing their job, and two-thirds say they have had to work more than usual. Two-thirds say they haven’t been able to do their job properly since starting to teach remotely, a task that most say they hadn’t been prepared well by the district to do.

The newest teachers, those who have been on the job for five years or less, struggle the most with distance teaching; 6 in 10 say they hadn’t been trained well for the task. The oldest teachers have the most difficulty dealing with technology. Among teachers 55 and older, 1 in 4 say it hasn’t been easy for them to use the technology required.

Parents recognize how hard teachers are working. Seven in 10 say teachers are “working harder now than they ever have.”

Children’s progress is in peril

Three-fourths of teachers say having to rely on distance learning is making their students fall behind in their classwork, although most predict that they will be able to make up lost ground. By 6-1, teachers say they are worried about their students; half of teachers are “very” worried.

Both parents and teachers acknowledge how difficult it has been for the other group to support distance learning. A 52% majority of parents say teachers have struggled; 85% of teachers say parents have struggled.

Technology is working for most

Almost all parents say their children have access to reliable internet service at home that allows them to study; just 3% say they don’t. Eighty-six percent of parents say their children have the software and equipment they need; 10% say they don’t. Generally, parents report that the technology has been easy to use.

Lower-income families are much more likely to face hurdles in access to technology. Nearly 1 in 5 of those in households with annual income of less than $50,000 a year say their children lack necessary software and equipment for online learning.

Getting a vaccine is seen as critical

A significant share of parents and teachers, about 4 in 10, oppose returning to the classroom before there is a coronavirus vaccine. (Slightly more support returning to school without a vaccine, but in each case less than a majority.)

That day isn’t close. The most optimistic predictions say a vaccine might be developed by the end of the year; the less optimistic ones say it may take well into next year or even longer.

There’s a search for solutions  

Roughly two-thirds of teachers and parents support the idea of returning to the classroom

Reading from Alpha-Phonics

for two or three days a week and using distance learning the other days. About two-thirds of both groups endorse having teachers considered at high risk for the illness continue to teach online, while teachers at low risk teach in person.

Parents and teachers show more of a split on the idea of extending the school year, starting classes earlier in the summer and continuing into the next summer. Parents are inclined to support the idea, 47%-36%. Teachers oppose it, 57%-34%.

Another divide: 40% of parents say public school teachers are paid fairly. Just 24% of teachers agree.

Social distancing at school? Good luck with that

Teachers are ready for changes in the school routine next fall. Nearly 8 in 10 teachers say they would be likely to wear a mask while teaching, and nearly 6 in 10 say they are likely to work longer hours. Nearly 9 in 10 warn that they foresee difficulties in enforcing social distancing among their students.

Parents agree. Seven in 10 would ask their child to wear a mask at school, but more than two-thirds say their child would find it hard to comply with social distancing.

“Having to be 6 feet apart is difficult for adults, and it’s even more difficult for kids,” said Andrea Rodriquez, 23, a Pittsburgh elementary school teacher who works with young children who are learning English as a second language. That’s been difficult to do without personal interaction.

If schools reopen this fall, nearly 1 in 5 teachers surveyed say they aren’t likely to return to teaching. Among teachers 55 and older, those with the most experience, 1 in 4 say they probably won’t return.

There are qualms among parents as well. If classrooms reopen this fall, parents by 59%-36% say they would be likely to pursue at-home options, such as online classes or home schooling. By double digits, men are more likely than women to consider pursuing those alternatives. Those with lower household incomes are more interested than those with higher incomes, and racial minorities are more interested than whites.

Despite the challenges of the moment, teachers’ commitment to their jobs seems to have been strengthened, not shaken. In a USA TODAY/Ipsos poll of teachers in January 2019, 92% said they loved their jobs; now 90% do, not a statistically significant drop. Nearly half, 48%, say they have thought about leaving their job as a teacher, but that’s a decline from last year, when a 54% majority had thought about it.

Seventy-seven percent say if they could pick a career all over again, they would still decide to be a teacher – a tick up from the 73% who expressed that view last year, before the pandemic began.

The closer America gets to the traditional Labor Day time when most schools have opened, or are about to open, the less sure we are that schools will open.  One thing that is for sure is, if you desire to teach your own Children to read, that Alpha-Phonic is one of the best phonics reading instruction programs you can use.  It has been used successfully by tens of thousands of Families for over 37 years.  It has proven easy to teach (No special training needed), is highly successful, anybody can easily teach it to their students and it is very reasonably priced at only $ 19.95 or less.

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