Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Pandemic Pods


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. Enough work done to show that the concept is relevant. A change of the title is possible. Tone 16:48, 30 August 2020 (UTC)

Pandemic Pods

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This article fails WP:NEO about a non-notable buzzword. Its content is heavily WP:SYNTH and encompasses several related but distinct topics and reads more like a blog than an encyclopedia article. Unsure why it was approved for WP:AFC by User:DGG. ZXCVBNM (TALK) 05:26, 4 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Education-related deletion discussions. ZXCVBNM (TALK) 05:26, 4 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Schools-related deletion discussions. ZXCVBNM (TALK) 05:26, 4 August 2020 (UTC)


 * The Pandemic Pods article was meant to address the current situation where families need to find alternatives to regular schools to keep themselves safe. The buzz word is good criticism -- "pandemic pods" is a trending phrase -- but the concept of an alternative educational setting that functions under a strict set of rules is not novel. Educational Family Co-op (or Homeschool Co-op) is a better term to describe these arrangements; it's just not the term that was picked up by the news . "Zutors" is an obvious neologism.


 * Family co-ops have been in existence for many decades, addressing the needs of families who didn't have extended families to mind their children and who didn't have the means to hire child-minding help. These were also good solutions for kids with special needs -- health issues or developmental issues. A pandemic pod is a way to describe an educational arrangement between several families that focuses on education and health safety.


 * Perhaps this article can be given a different name? Would "Educational Family Co-ops" be a better title? It describes all forms of alternative homeschooling arraignments; Pandemic Pods is but one form of Educational Family Co-op with strict rules for pandemic rules adherence. "Pandemic Pods" search term could be redirected to that entry?


 * Over the next few weeks, this article will grow in scope and its adherence to Wikipedia's writing style. There are a lot of news discussions that use this term (and others), finding references wouldn't be a problem.


 * Here are but a few scholarly articles on this topic:
 * Coontz, E. K. (1996). Best kept secrets: Co-op preschool models need to be spread. Rural Cooperatives, 63(1).
 * Coontz, E. K. (2003). Bringing families together: A guide to parent cooperatives. Davis, CA: University of California.
 * Dunlap, K. (1997). Family empowerment: one outcome of cooperative preschool education.Child Welfare, 76(4), 501-518.
 * Hewes, D. W. (1998). “It’s the camaraderie”: A history of parent cooperative preschools. Davis, CA: University of California.
 * Oostdam, R. & Hooge, E. (2013). Making the difference with active parenting; forming educational partnerships between parents and schools. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 28(2), 337-351.
 * Ali, M. A. (2014). Learning Together: A Case Study for a Cooperative School's Approach to Education. The University of San Francisco.
 * Owerby (talk) 22:01, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

 Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
 * Comment - I agree with the nominator that the article is in poor shape at present; if I had seen this at AfC, I would have declined it as being improperly sourced and reading like an essay. However a basic search turns up plenty of WP:RS sources that are specifically about pandemic pods: I believe the topic is notable and could make a decent article if someone is willing to trim the WP:SYNTH and essay-like content. I can understand the decision to put a sub-par draft on a notable topic into mainspace, where it will be seen by other editors and hopefully improved, rather than leave it in draftspace where it will be ignored and eventually deleted. Spicy (talk) 22:16, 4 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Delete. It is in bad shape and redundant in relation to Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education.--Hippeus (talk) 11:56, 5 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Delete an unjustified POV-fork of the COVID-19 and education article. There may be need to split it, it is hard to imagine the article could easily cover in an encyclopedic way the world-wide impact of the disease. The way to address the large scope is to create articles on impact in smaller areas.John Pack Lambert (talk) 17:05, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Merge either to Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education as a new section entitled 'Homeschooling' or merge to homeschooling, as a new section entitled 'During the COVID-19 pandemic'. Add a 'see also' entry from one article to the other. There are enough sources to support that these terms are real and in use. It is more about where to place the material for best effect. Another alternative is to keep the article but rename it 'Homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic' but in that case it would need more specific references about what actually happened on the ground, rather than academic references. Curb Safe Charmer (talk) 07:57, 7 August 2020 (UTC)

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks,  Sandstein   09:13, 12 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep. There is quite enough in the way of references. some of them substantial and specific. It has to do with more than education. But for the educational aspects only, besides the references given above, see:
 * Clara T. Green, "The Latest in School Segregation: Private Pandemic ‘Pods’" New York Times July 22, 2020
 * Wyatte Grantham-Philips, "As school starts online, parents need to study up on 'pandemic pods' – and what they mean for equity" USA TODAY July 28, 2020

For other aspects of the concept of living within a small closed group to avoid infections, see:
 * Melinda Warner, "The Do's and Don'ts of 'Quarantine Pods'" New York Times June 12, 2020
 * Jennifer Weiner, "The Quarantine Bubbles Are Coming and I, for One, Am Stressed" New York Times May 26, 2020
 * Scott Cacciola and Kevin Draper, "We Went Inside a Sports ‘Bubble.’ Here’s What We Saw."New York Times June 14, 2020

(I am only aware of the US situation; and I've only listed what I happened to come across in reading;; I' haven't done a real search--there is presumably more elsewhere) ' With all the references that are in the article, I'm surprised this was even challenged; supplemented by those in this discussion, I'm even more surprised there's further question. I don't often invoke GNG explicitly, but I think it applies here.  DGG ( talk ) 04:30, 15 August 2020 (UTC) DGG' ( talk ) 04:33, 15 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Comment If this is to be kept (and I'm not convinced it should, the multiple RS references notwithstanding), the article name should surely be changed to something better matching the contents; for one thing, the article name is 'Pandemic Pods', with the first section titled 'Pandemic pod', which is confusing. -- DoubleGrazing (talk) 11:36, 19 August 2020 (UTC)

 Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.

Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks,  Sandstein   09:00, 20 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Yet another excellent refernece: Dani, Blum; Miller, Farah (August 18, 2020). "What Parents Need to Know About Learning Pods". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2020.  .(quote from the lede:These arrangements have quickly become a popular and, sometimes, divisive topic. A Pandemic Pods Facebook group was set up by families in San Francisco on July 7 and it already has almost 40,000 members. Google search traffic for “learning pods” has swelled since the start of August.: I don't really see how anyone can say " I'm not convinced it should [be kept], the multiple RS references notwithstanding) and still thing the GNG has any relevance. Myself, I think it has  only a limited relevance when things don'tt fit in neat pigeon-holes, and this is a prime example..  DGG ( talk ) 05:41, 22 August 2020 (UTC)`
 * Note: This discussion has been included in the list of COVID-19-related deletion discussions. Shellwood (talk) 09:25, 20 August 2020 (UTC)

...and another, CBC News, Why the idea of social bubbles might need to be re-evaluated quote to show relevance : "The challenge to maintain an "exclusive" bubble will be particularly difficult with schools opening in the fall, "  DGG ( talk ) 18:30, 24 August 2020 (UTC) "
 * Keep: DGG has demonstrated that there are lots of sources talking about this concept. — Toughpigs (talk) 17:39, 22 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Keep: Classic example of hitting the 'Delete' button too early. Pods, bubbles haven't established a vocabulary yet- this is where we perform a role in explaining the context etc- yes acting like an encyclopedia. In context in September, in the land of U-turns, parents are forced to send their precious back to a school that they believe is disease ridden.They are looking for alternatives and will look here first. Keep, add information, remove false facts, and continually review scope and the name. A browser refresh is a long time in current politics. --ClemRutter (talk) 09:11, 26 August 2020 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.