This report features Kosuke (a first-year middle school student) and Shihori (a fourth-grade elementary school student), siblings who attend local public schools in Westchester County, a suburb of New York State in the United States. They moved to this town—located about 40 minutes from Manhattan—two years ago.It is a safe neighborhood with a large Japanese expat community, but the neighboring town was the site of New York’s first COVID-19 cluster.

　The school the two of them attend is a local public school with almost no Japanese students.
A week before the school was closed by executive order from the state governor, a notice was issued stating that attendance was not mandatory. However, it is said that at that point, most children were still going to school as usual. During that week, however, there were changes to the schedule, such as classes starting one hour later.For the school, this was a preparation period leading up to the closure, during which the school held online training sessions for teachers on how to conduct classes remotely. On Friday, March 13, the children were instructed to take all their school materials home because the school would be closed starting the following week.

　

　First, we spoke with Kosuke, a 6th grader. The first thing Kosuke showed us was a website set up by the local government that all schools in the area can access.
[Mamaroneck Schools Website
] https://www.mamkschools.org/

“I can usually access all the information on this page, so even when we’re learning remotely, I just go to this page and do my work at home.”
On the page reserved for teachers, students, and parents, updates on school activities are posted regularly. Additionally, the password-protected student portal—which uses Google Classroom—is updated daily with all school-related information, including attendance records, report cards, and assignment status, so students can always check their latest academic progress.Furthermore, the school provides one Chromebook per student, and students in third grade and above are each assigned their own Gmail account.
Since the transition to remote
learning, home study has been conducted according to the class schedule, but it does not take the form of real-time online classes. To begin with, middle school and above do not use a homeroom teacher system, so each student’s schedule is different.Instead, it follows a university-style model where students move between classes according to their own schedules. In distance learning, assignments for each subject are posted on Google Classroom every morning. Students review these and complete them at their own convenience.

  　Specifically, students watch recorded class videos, complete the assignments, and turn them in. They click the “Attend” button, submit their assignments, and the mission is complete. But wouldn’t some students still fail to turn in their assignments? Kosuke says:
“Assignments are part of a daily point system, so if you don’t submit them, you don’t get points or you’re penalized—which is why almost no students fail to submit them. If you haven’t submitted an assignment, the teacher will contact you individually.”

  　Apparently, there are no comprehensive exams like the midterm or final exams typically found in Japan; instead, grades are determined based on daily assignments and quizzes. Report cards covering all 13 years of schooling—from kindergarten through the third year of high school—are stored on the school district’s website. In particular, for middle school and above, the system is designed to accumulate detailed data, such as the status of assignment submissions.“It seems Kojimachi Junior High School in Japan is making headlines for eliminating midterm and final exams and the homeroom teacher system, but here, all schools operate on a system similar to Kojimachi Junior High School’s,” says his mother, Tomoko.
　Creativity is evident in classes that involve practical
skills. For example, in music class, there was a choral session.After learning the sheet music and how to sing, students submit a video of themselves singing. In home economics, there are hands-on activities such as laundry and cooking. For example, there was an assignment to make that day’s lunch and submit a photo as proof. Kosuke reportedly made a chicken mince rice bowl with his mother. The assignment for physical education class was to go for a 30-minute run outdoors.In New York State, residents are asked to refrain from going out except for essential or non-urgent matters, but light outdoor exercise is reportedly fine as long as you maintain a safe distance from others.
  　
Although the time required for assignments varies from day to day, it averages about 4 to 5 hours. Group work was a frequent part of in-person classes, but since switching to remote learning, it has become less common because it’s difficult to coordinate schedules with classmates.
“However, since I use FaceTime to chat with friends during lunch breaks, I don’t feel too stressed just because I’m studying from home.”
  　
The shift to remote learning has gone very smoothly, but initially, students weren’t marked present unless they clicked both the “Attendance” and “Assignment Submission” buttons. Since many students forgot to click the “Attendance” button, that button was eventually removed, and the weekly schedule was adjusted due to the heavy workload—all of which suggests the school is still going through a process of trial and error.

　

　Let’s take a look at the daily life of Shihori, a fourth-grader. At her elementary school, she receives a video message from her homeroom teacher every morning, starting from the first day of school closures. Since these videos are recorded at the teachers’ homes and offer a glimpse into their daily lives, she says they make her feel a sense of closeness.　　 Just like in middle

school, assignments for each subject are posted on Google Classroom.In elementary school, parents also receive daily emails listing that day’s assignments. Again, this isn’t real-time online instruction; the focus is on submitting assignments. There is no set schedule, and students learn at their own pace. Since elementary school students routinely watch YouTube videos created by textbook publishers as part of their lessons, they continue to watch the same videos even during remote learning.
 
[Videos Used in Math Class]
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCMb3b2_-4jDpi2Mvac_pAMA

　For reading, students spend 45 minutes reading a book of their choice and engage in self-study using the Raz-Kids app, which is also used in regular classes. For writing, students submit assignments, which their homeroom teacher then corrects. Teachers in the ENL (English for New Learners) class—designed for immigrant students who do not yet speak English at a native level—check the work before it is submitted.At school, in addition to music classes, each student takes private lessons on an instrument. Since lesson videos are sent for each instrument, I practice the flute every day while watching them.
I can also
access a variety of learning resources through the school’s website. On the sixth day of the school closure, we were notified that the school library would begin offering e-books. These are freely available to all students on a regular basis.Starting on the seventh day of the school closure, a group chat bringing the entire class together via Zoom began. The teacher asked each student how they were doing, and it reportedly turned into a lively, bustling conversation. “Since we’re refraining from playing with friends right now, this is a time I really look forward to!”Since then, they’ve been connecting with the entire class via Zoom about twice a week to enjoy these chats. On the 10th day of the school closure, a video featuring a slideshow of photos of all the elementary school teachers was released as a private video on YouTube. Everyone was encouraging the children with messages on message boards, such as “I miss you” and “We’ve got this,” and it seems that their mental health is being well taken care of.

　I’ve heard that the amount of homework is so substantial that it can take a full day if you take it seriously.
So, they apparently prioritize their homework at home and wrap things up by around 2:00 p.m. I asked if elementary
school students might need support from their parents.“In the U.S., there’s an unspoken understanding that leaving children up to the middle grades of elementary school at home without adult supervision is considered neglect, so every household has some form of adult support. Since the children are learning using devices and software they’re already familiar with, I think they’re able to tackle their at-home learning smoothly and without much difficulty,” said Tomoko.

　According to Kosuke and Shihori, ICT is used in about 30% of regular classes in elementary school and about 70% in junior high school, while for homework, the usage rate ranges from 0% to 40% in elementary school (increasing as students advance in grade level) and is about 70% in junior high school. It’s mainly used in coding classes, project-based learning, and when writing essays.Starting in junior high school in particular, teachers in each subject regularly post homework assignments on Google Classroom. It also seems that YouTube has long been frequently used to explain assignment details.
The same applies to communication with parents
. The school district’s website—which Kosuke introduced at the beginning—contains all information related to faculty, parents, and students.Parents use this site to top up prepaid meal cards, submit various forms (such as change-of-address or absence notifications), and report late arrivals or early departures. Class assignments at the start of the school year are also announced online. Since parents receive frequent emails from the principal, homeroom teachers, subject teachers, and class representatives, Tomoko says they have a much better understanding of school life than they would at a Japanese school.“Looking back now, the system of writing in a communication notebook and having the child deliver it to the teacher, or distributing paper letters, was really inefficient, wasn’t it?” Tomoko told me, reflecting on her time attending a public elementary school in Tokyo.
[Mamaroneck Schools Website]
https://www.mamkschools.org/

　Tomoko also points out that the key to successful distance learning is “regular online communication between teachers and families.” It was likely because the school shared updates on a daily basis and had built a relationship of trust with families that the transition to distance learning went so smoothly.
  　
As a side note, Tomoko says the thing that surprised her most when she came to the U.S. was that the names, email addresses, and direct phone numbers of the principal, vice principal, school board members, parents, and all other relevant parties are publicly available. “In Japan, privacy regulations are strict, but here, while you can choose to keep personal information private, almost everyone makes theirs public.“Furthermore, students are allowed to email not only their homeroom teachers but any teacher directly. Since teachers can access their email from outside the school, they can reply even at night. There haven’t been any particular issues, and it’s very convenient.” It’s fascinating to hear that making personal information public is recognized as both reasonable and convenient. Incidentally, regarding the response to the current COVID-19 situation, the Superintendent reportedly sent emails directly to each household.
  　
For families without the necessary equipment for remote learning, iPads and Wi-Fi with usage restrictions were loaned out free of charge starting two days after the school closure was announced.Tomoko’s family borrowed two iPads, and she says it was a great help that the Board of Education operates a help desk staffed by its own IT engineers, who provided support—including assistance with the family’s home IT setup—whenever problems arose.
Furthermore
, the cram school both of them attend switched to remote learning very quickly, and it seems that extracurricular activities are also following the trend toward remote learning.

　Finally, when we asked Tomoko and Kosuke—who had experienced both Japanese and American public elementary schools—which one they would like to attend in the future, they immediately answered, “An American school.”
 
“Here, the teachers have more breathing room and aren’t burned out,” said Tomoko. For example, during lunch, a different staff member takes over, so compared to Japan, there are more adults supervising the children, and the teachers have more free time. She suggests that this allows for more thorough guidance of the children and gives teachers the time to engage with parents.
Westchester County is one of the most economically prosperous counties in New York State, and 10% of property taxes are allocated to education. This may be due to the area’s generous budget and strong commitment to education.

　Kosuke replied, “I prefer it here because there are almost no school rules and it’s more free. Plus, I can use computers!”Kosuke, who had programming classes almost every day during his first semester of seventh grade, is also a member of the computer club. While he doesn’t seem to have any complaints about studying at home, he still says he wants school to reopen soon. “It’s easier now that I don’t have to wake up early, but I want to see my friends, so I want to go back to school soon.”
  　
“I strongly hope for the advancement of IT in Japanese schools. IT can not only diversify children’s lessons but also greatly reduce the burden of administrative tasks on teachers. I hope this interview, by highlighting the advanced situation in the U.S., will help people realize just how far behind Japan is,” Tomoko shared in a message.
  　
In Japan, too, measures to ensure that learning doesn’t stop are being implemented at a rapid pace through economic stimulus packages. I intend to continue doing my utmost to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place as soon as possible.