Paul Sullivan of The New York Times, writes in his Wealth Matters column Private Schools Hold New Attraction for Rich Parents that there has a huge uptick in families seeking private school education for their children. After all the uncertainty of the summer, when many families were not sure if they wanted in-person or remote education, currently in-person seems more desirable, perhaps because we have not read recently of major outbreaks stemming from private school attendance. Sullivan writes:
In New York, parents at one of the city’s most elite private schools, the Dalton School, which remains remote even when competitors have in-person learning, have begun to complain.
Its reputation for excellent teaching and college placement keeps parents from leaving, said Emily Glickman, president of Abacus Guide Educational Consulting, which works with families to get their children into private schools in New York. Schools with less competitive reputations have struggled more.
“It’s interesting because parents are all looking left and right to see what their friends’ kids are doing,” Ms. Glickman said. “No one is sure what is better.”
As Sullivan correctly notes, on balance, right now most parents appear to prefer in-person education. However, this can backfire, as happened this week at Horace Mann, where in-person teaching in the middle school and high school was suspended for two weeks after several employees tested positive for Covid.