Abstract
As schools physically closed across the country to protect against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became clear early on that the burden on students will not be equally shared. Structural racism patterns the lives of people of color that, in turn, increases their exposure to the effects of the pandemic further impacting the quality of education the students of color have access to. It is critical to examine the ways in which racial disparities in social emotional and educational outcomes have the potential to increase as a result of the pandemic. To that end, using a content analysis of an open-ended survey, this study examines (a) how teachers and school staff experienced the pandemic, (b) their perception of student experiences during the transition to remote learning, and (c) school staff’s perceptions of how racial inequities may be increased as aresult of the pandemic. Our findings highlight the deep, but unequal impact of the pandemic on school staff, students, and their families. Teachers are overwhelmed and overworked, struggling to manage multiple roles while working at home. They also have tremendous empathy for the weight of the losses that students have experienced, and concern for the well-being of students in difficult living or family situations. However, most school staff maintained a colorblind analysis of the way the pandemic is affecting their students and did not recognize the role of systemic racism or potential for racial disparities to be increased. Implications and limitations are discussed.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 546-554 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | School Psychology |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
Keywords
- COVID-19
- achievement gap
- colorblind racism
- racial disparities