Conversations on Race - Race and Reopening the Schools

Race and Reopening the Schools

August 4, 2020

PLEASE VIEW THE FOLLOWING WEBINAR

It will be the primary focus of our Conversation on Race and Reopening the Schools

The Digital Divide: Education, Race And Virtual Learning

During this virtual event (July 29, 2020), the Boston Globe's "The Great Divide" examines educational inequalities through a racial lens, looking specifically at virtual learning in the wake of Covid-19, including students' potential return to school this Fall. (57:32)

Panelists, in conversation with Boston Globe reporter Meghan Irons, are:

Mariel Novas, Assistant Director of Partnerships & Engagement for Massachusetts at The Education Trust;

Francis Pina, high school math teacher at Charlestown High School;

Dr. Pedro A. Noguera, Dean, Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California; and

Vivian Santos-Smith, recent graduate from Somerville High School.

Gislaine Ngounou introduces and closes the discussion. She is Vice President of Strategy and Programs at the Nellie Mae Educational Foundation, the co-sponsor of the webinar.

Context and Supplemental Material

Background:

In March of 1998, an excellent article was written, in part, to counter attacks on affirmative action. "Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education" points out that "the U.S. educational system is one of the most unequal in the industrialized world." And it goes on to provide a clear and persuasive explanation.

Not much has changed since the article was written.

You can link directly to the article by clicking here.

Unequal Opportunity_ Race and Education.pdf

Reopening Schools Is Way Harder Than It Should Be - The New York Times.pdf

Twenty-two years after the publication of the Brookings article above, very little has happened to address the inequality in our educational system, and in some aspects the situation has worsened. And now we are also facing a crisis that threatens the educational success of all our children, with the heaviest burden falling on poor and minority families who were already struggling within a system that was not meeting their children's needs.

The New York Times recently published an article that attempts to describe the current (and volatile) situation. You can link directly to the article here or read the PDF on the left.

Johns Hopkins University summarizes the situation in their Equity Checklist for school reopening (click title above). The report begins by reminding us that we need to have conversations that address " what could and should be done to narrow the gap in impact of COVID-19 school closures and, at minimum, lessen the risks that these particularly hard-hit students will again suffer disproportionately as school returns. Without adequately addressing reopening issues for our most vulnerable students, we face the perpetuation of this inequity cycle, both during the 2020-21 academic year and beyond."

The bulk of the document is an actual checklist, too lengthy for us and primarily aimed at assisting schools as they make the hard decisions. What is most meaningful for our group is the overview on page 3 and then just scrolling through the list to get an idea of the complexity of this challenge. Keep in mind as well that knowledge about the virus and medical recommendations are changing frequently, further complicating the planning process.

Another very important report from Johns Hopkins, released in June 2020, is The White Paper on the Ethics of K-12 Reopening (click on the image to access the document). It frames school reopening "around four broad moral values -- well-being, liberty, justice, and legitimacy" and its goal is to make it "less likely that important moral interests are not inadvertently overlooked."

Note that at the bottom of this page there are references to other important materials created by Johns Hopkins University.

The New England Journal of Medicine makes the case that safely reopening schools full-time should should be a top national priority. The article confines itself to elementary schools because of the "challenging transmission dynamics at older ages."

This comprehensive analysis lays out what is necessary to provide a safe, reliable, and equitable reopening. It points out that the difficulties are "exacerbated by school segregation and racial and class injustice: reopening schools that serve poorer and predominantly minority populations poses the greatest risk to families' and educators' safety -- but their ongoing closure also imposes the greatest harms on children and families." (July 26, 2020)

NEJMschools.pdf

Voicing Concerns:

Listen to teachers as they highlight reopening issues

Washington Post (6:52)

(Click on the image)

Teachers worry about the fall: ‘We’re talking about actual human lives’As states decide whether to open schools in the fall, teachers across the country worry their lives are being put at risk.

Pods, Private School, and Privilege:

Opinion _ The Latest in School Segregat...e Pandemic ‘Pods’ - The New York Times.pdf

"Pandemic Pods," formed by families who can afford them, are starting to pop up around the country. This New York Times article points out that "If they become the norm, less privileged kids will suffer." Link directly to the article here or read the PDF above.

_______________

And here's a recent one about wealthy New York parents finding options near their second homes (here) or PDF below.

Rich City Tykes Swell Schools in Hamptons and Hudson Valley - The New York Times.pdf

The articles below, from the New York Times, highlight the appeal of private schools as an option for those who can afford it. Many parents are considering leaving public schools. The first piece compares reopening plans (here) and the second, remote learning (here).

In the Same Towns, Private Schools Are ...c Schools Are Not - The New York Times.pdf

The Coronavirus Is Widening the Class Divide in Education - The New York Times.pdf

If you want to take a deep dive into this subject, Johns Hopkins University is an amazing resource.

Johns Hopkins has created something called the eSchool+Initiative to develop tools and resources for schools to think about when and how to ethically close and reopen K-12 schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative is a cross-disciplinary collaboration between the Johns Hopkins Consortium for School-Based Health Solutions, Berman Institute of Bioethics, and schools of Education, Medicine, and Public Health. It benefits from expertise in ethics, school health, school policy, food security, clinical medicine, and education.

eSchool+ Initiative - Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

Click on the title above to access the website. There you will find links to many topics with valuable content. One of the most interesting is their School Reopening Plan Tracker. It analyzes the most recent plans from the national level (e.g. CDC, American Federation of Teachers, American Academy of Pediatrics, NEA, NYU...) and from many states, 54 plans in all. You can access it directly here. There are also some interesting webinars (click here) including one titled "Lost Learning during COVID-19: Understanding which students lost the most."

Mary Haskell shared this New York Times article that provides an update on pods and the lack of affordable alternatives for less affluent families, as we move closer to school reopening. Click the photo on the right to access the article directly or read the PDF below.

Families Priced Out of Coronavirus ‘Learning Pods’ Seek Alternatives - The New York Times.pdf

Families Priced Out of ‘Learning Pods’ Seek AlternativesShould public school systems provide teachers for small-group instruction?

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