By Christopher Edley, JR. and Maria Echaveste, EdSource, June 25, 2020
Weeks of racial justice protests and the coronavirus pandemic have together drawn much-needed attention to the race-based disparities embedded in our institutions, from policing to health care. These disparities are also deeply rooted in our communities and schools.
During these prolonged school disruptions, Black, Latinx and low-income students have been disproportionately affected. As we learned in real-time, these students were less likely to have the devices and internet connectivity necessary to engage in effective distance learning. Their families were, and are, more likely to experience loss of employment income and more vulnerable to housing and food insecurity.
To compound the disruption, students have lost many of the academic, social and emotional supports they normally get from school. As a result, most educators and experts anticipate that already-wide achievement gaps affecting Black and Latinx students will widen during this time.
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