All States Close but Red Districts Reopen

• In Event: Enduring Lessons in Education Politics and Policy from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic created enormous challenges for public education. We assess the role of political factors and public health in state and local education decisions, especially the continuation of learning during COVID-19. Using an original dataset of state education policies since the start of the pandemic, we find that governors took the lead on ordering school closures in Spring 2020 but left decisions to districts in the Fall, regardless of partisanship. But partisanship played a much stronger role in local decisions. We analyze local district reopening plans and public opinion on reopening in the politically competitive state of Michigan. Partisanship was much more associated with district reopening plans than COVID-19 rates. Michigan Republicans were also far more favorable than were Democrats toward in-person learning. States' decisions to leave re-opening plans to their districts opened the way for students’ experiences to be shaped by their area's partisanship.

Authors

• Sarah E. Reckhow, Michigan State University

• Matt Grossmann, Michigan State University