After a challenging fall semester, a national survey from Public Agenda finds that K-12 teachers and parents are largely on the same page regarding education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Just over half of both teachers and parents feel that their communities value teachers more now than before the pandemic. While only one-third of parents think that they can fill teachers’ roles, most parents and teachers think in-person teaching during the pandemic is risky. Most parents and teachers also think teachers themselves should have a voice in deciding whether to hold in-person classes. However, both parents and teachers feel torn over whether in-person classes are worth the risks.

As COVID-19 vaccination efforts continue to roll out, somewhat more teachers than parents favor requiring both teachers and students to be vaccinated in order to hold in-person classes. Somewhat more teachers than parents also favor suspending standardized testing during the pandemic. However, both teachers and parents feel strongly that schools must provide teachers with the resources to effectively teach online and to support themselves and their students socially and emotionally.