This is a useful way to frame the issue, from @ProfEmilyOster:
Both school-opening states and school-closure states have put schools too low in their priority ranking of things to open. As a result, schools only get opened if everything else does. https://emilyoster.substack.com/p/school-rankings-framing-slightly?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo1NDE0ODYsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4NjIzNzk1LCJfIjoiNjdEZlUiLCJpYXQiOjE2MDU1MjM5NTcsImV4cCI6MTYwNTUyNzU1NywiaXNzIjoicHViLTI5NzcwIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.ZjDlm_gGUe0l7DqH9sx9Vt99BR2tSla-JfxUXBSheig
Both school-opening states and school-closure states have put schools too low in their priority ranking of things to open. As a result, schools only get opened if everything else does. https://emilyoster.substack.com/p/school-rankings-framing-slightly?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo1NDE0ODYsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4NjIzNzk1LCJfIjoiNjdEZlUiLCJpYXQiOjE2MDU1MjM5NTcsImV4cCI6MTYwNTUyNzU1NywiaXNzIjoicHViLTI5NzcwIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.ZjDlm_gGUe0l7DqH9sx9Vt99BR2tSla-JfxUXBSheig
In Iowa, the problem is that the risk-to-benefit tolerance of our government is so high that EVERYTHING is open, which makes it hard to do school safely.
In the Northeast, the problem is that gyms and dining are ranked above schools. https://emilyoster.substack.com/p/school-rankings-framing-slightly?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo1NDE0ODYsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4NjIzNzk1LCJfIjoiNjdEZlUiLCJpYXQiOjE2MDU1MjQ2OTMsImV4cCI6MTYwNTUyODI5MywiaXNzIjoicHViLTI5NzcwIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.SbBhWmiWazdTDGRqMk6N-3ZtW_fyW2FK0RRjr2b75vw
In the Northeast, the problem is that gyms and dining are ranked above schools. https://emilyoster.substack.com/p/school-rankings-framing-slightly?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo1NDE0ODYsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4NjIzNzk1LCJfIjoiNjdEZlUiLCJpYXQiOjE2MDU1MjQ2OTMsImV4cCI6MTYwNTUyODI5MywiaXNzIjoicHViLTI5NzcwIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.SbBhWmiWazdTDGRqMk6N-3ZtW_fyW2FK0RRjr2b75vw