Emily Oster: Why wasn't the US tracking the spread of COVID-19 in schools?

Part 1 of the TED Radio Hour episode Bucking The System.

In summer 2020, parents faced so many unknowns when it came to sending kids to school. Economist Emily Oster describes how she started collecting data nationwide to help parents decide for themselves.

About Emily Oster

Emily Oster is a professor of economics at Brown University.

Previously, she worked at the National Bureau of Economic Research and taught economics at the University of Chicago. Her academic work analyses how consumers make health decisions. She has also written three books about the data that informs the choices people make during pregnancy and as parents. In 2021, Oster became the executive director of the COVID-19 School Data Hub.

Oster earned a B.A. and a Ph.D. in economics, both from Harvard University.

This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Sylvie Douglis and James Delahoussaye and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadio@npr.org. [Copyright 2021 NPR]