Back-to-school season is hitting differently in 2020. This year, first-day-of-school jitters are mixed in with fears of a still-raging pandemic, families stretched to their limits, and economic catastrophe.
The Verge’s Back to School Special
Pandemic edition
Schools across the country are already starting classes, an unqualified mess that involves shifts to distance learning, optimistic reopenings, and realistic reclosings. Hand sanitizer and laptops have replaced backpacks and lunch boxes as must-have items for the class of COVID-19.
Decisions made by districts and systems could affect parents, students, and communities for years to come. COVID-19’s consequences for schools reverberate far beyond health — touching education, policies, and tech. Parents of the country’s roughly 56 million K–12 students are looking for practical ways to cope with distance learning. And teachers of students of all ages are trying to figure out how to teach remotely without being quite so remote.
We’re taking a week to dive into the struggle, bringing you the perspectives of parents, teachers, students, nurses, bus drivers, and others who are doing their best to make this pandemic school year work — even surrounded by COVID’s chaos.
Ann Arbor residents are worried about students’ return to the University of Michigan
Nicole Wetsman
A short-lived threat crushed some students’ American dreams
Monica Chin
How do school districts transport kids safely during a pandemic?
Andrew J. Hawkins
‘I don’t want any of my colleagues to get sick and die’
Loren Grush
It doesn’t cost much for a reliable set of headphones
Chris Welch
A different way to learn about bees, space stations, and human eyeballs
Andrew Webster
When lectures go online, who gets to keep the copyright?
James Vincent
Small gadgets can make as much of a difference as bigger investments
Cameron Faulkner
Getting to college was hard enough — then the pandemic upended their support system
Justine Calma
It’s the hardest on the youngest learners
Nicole Wetsman
You can meet via video without being embarrassed
Barbara Krasnoff
Ann Arbor residents are worried about students’ return to the University of Michigan
Nicole Wetsman
A short-lived threat crushed some students’ American dreams
Monica Chin
How do school districts transport kids safely during a pandemic?
Andrew J. Hawkins
‘I don’t want any of my colleagues to get sick and die’
Loren Grush
It doesn’t cost much for a reliable set of headphones
Chris Welch
A different way to learn about bees, space stations, and human eyeballs
Andrew Webster
When lectures go online, who gets to keep the copyright?
James Vincent
Small gadgets can make as much of a difference as bigger investments
Cameron Faulkner
Getting to college was hard enough — then the pandemic upended their support system
Justine Calma
It’s the hardest on the youngest learners
Nicole Wetsman
You can meet via video without being embarrassed
Barbara Krasnoff
