Economist Emily Oster On School Reopenings: 'Be Flexible'

Virus Outbreak — Des Moines Public Schools custodian Cynthia Adams cleans a desk in a classroom at Brubaker Elementary School, Wednesday, July 8, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. As the Trump administration pushes full steam ahead to force schools to resume in-person education, public health experts warn that a one-size-fits-all reopening could drive infection and death rates even higher.

Zoe Mathews is a producer for Boston Public Radio and the producer of The Scrum podcast.

August 13, 2020

Updated August 09, 2023

Emily Oster, co-author of the website COVID Explained, joined Boston Public Radio on Thursday to walk through school districts' mad scramble to figure out how to reopen safely this fall.

Oster highlighted a mantra of "be flexible," noting that districts need to prepare for COVID cases in schools and be able to respond effectively to that reality.

Emily Oster is an economics professor at Brown University, writer of books on pregnancy and parenting, and co-author of the website COVID Explained.