Not Your Mom, Teacher: How Parenting Logics Shaped School Enrollment Decisions in the Context of Covid-19 by Kaitlyn A. Orick and Jessica Calarco (2026)

March 7, 2026 - 04:02

New research reveals how deeply ingrained parenting philosophies, divided along class and racial lines, dictated school enrollment decisions during the Covid-19 pandemic. A study examining family choices in 2020 found a stark divide, with affluent, highly educated, and White parents disproportionately advocating for schools to reopen for in-person instruction.

This push often stemmed from a cultural logic of "concerted cultivation," where parents view themselves as primary advocates responsible for actively managing their children's educational and extracurricular enrichment. For these families, school closures were seen as a direct threat to their child's academic progress and social development, prompting demands for a return to normalcy.

In contrast, many working-class parents and parents of color operated from a different framework, often prioritizing safety and stability. Their decisions were frequently guided by a logic of necessity, weighing health risks against the practical challenges of remote learning, such as access to reliable technology and the need to maintain employment. This divergence highlights how pre-existing social inequalities were dramatically amplified by the pandemic crisis, shaping not just health outcomes but educational trajectories.

The study underscores that school enrollment debates were never just about public health data. They were, fundamentally, a reflection of unequal resources and deeply stratified beliefs about parenting, responsibility, and risk. These divides have left a lasting imprint on the educational landscape, exposing systemic inequities that extend far beyond the classroom walls.