As many kids get ready to go back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study indicates ways to minimize outbreaks and their impact on in-person instruction.
The study led by researchers from the University of Waterloo used a mathematical model to explore ways class sizes and student-to-teacher ratios can influence the number of infections and student-days of closed classrooms in Canada. The model revealed that the optimal student-to-teacher ratio required to maximize in-person instruction opportunities is below currently planned ratios in many jurisdictions, which are as high as 15:2 in childcare centres and 30:1 in schools.
Read the full press release about this study, Model-based projections for COVID-19 outbreak size and student-days lost to closure in Ontario childcare centres and primary schools, by Chris Bauch, Brendon Phillips, a PhD candidate in Waterloo’s Department of Applied Mathematics, Dillon Browne, an assistant professor in Waterloo’s Department of Psychology and Madhur Anand, a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph. The study has been submitted for peer-review and publication.