Over 80% of students worldwide faced school closings earlier this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And many U.S. students may not see a classroom again in the year 2020.
It is no surprise that students in lower-income areas tend to have lower literacy and mathematical abilities, when compared to those of higher income. However, did you know that this gap increases over summer and holiday breaks? Even two weeks away from school can lessen a child’s academic capabilities. So what happens during a five-month hiatus?
It has been found that this achievement gap is comparable to at least two years of education, meaning that Covid-19 could expand this gap even further. Students in low-income areas could become three years behind their higher-income counterparts, due to the lack of proper education.
Though online schooling may seem like the simple solution to education in this pandemic, it is not as straightforward as it appears.
Over 35 percent of low-income families don’t have access to high-speed internet, meaning that school districts with a large percentage of low-income students will not be able to enforce online learning. In addition to internet access, students may also have unstable home lives or lack the proper motivation that is required for such a self-oriented way of learning.
Along with education, schools also provide students with food security and time away from their home lives, which may be extremely important in certain cases.
14% of households do not have food security, which is the state of having consistent access to a sufficient quantity of food. Many families depend on their children’s schools to provide them with healthy and affordable food options. This lack of security may result in these children being extremely unhealthy, which will only increase their chances of contracting the Coronavirus.
For the majority of students, school can be an escape from the troubles of home, but for some, these troubles might be extremely destructive. Around 17% of school-age children live in poverty, let alone those who struggle with abusive or harmful home lives. Without a way to escape, physically or virtually, these children may face serious mental or even physical harm.
But how are schools supposed to combat these obstacles? The truth is they can’t do it alone.
From 2010 to 2014, the United States faced a 4% decrease in spending on education, while the UK increased their spending by over 30%. But why are these numbers so different?
As technology evolves and the education system expands, higher funding is required in order to properly educate our youth. Without access to computers, books, and other supplies, schools in lower-income districts will continue to fall behind. In New York City alone, over 300,000 students do not have access to computers in their homes, and may only be able to find these resources in their schools.
But if students cannot access the internet, how will online learning occur in districts with high rates of low-income students? And the answer is government funding.
Though as many students should participate in completely virtual learning as possible in order to prevent another wave of the Covid-19 disease, increased government funding would allow for virtual learning in schools where it was previously impossible.
Many would say that in this pandemic, opening schools even partially would not be safe for the children or the faculty. And though this must be taken into consideration, the government and individual school districts can, and need to, find a way around the health crisis.
A simple step that could be taken by many school districts is physically opening schools on specific days to allow students to access the resources within them, even if that means attending virtual class using school computers while maintaining social distancing.
While some may see opening schools for some students and not others as unfair, they must consider the situation of the children that need these resources the most. For example, the low-income students who may not have any access to the internet at their homes. As well as students who depend on school for food security and other resources.
Though this would be difficult for schools to accomplish, it would be possible if these schools were given the proper funding to do so. However, this is nearly inconceivable when only 8% of the federal government spending goes to education. Why is this percentage so low when over 50 million children are in the United States education system? Shouldn’t our government be extremely concerned with the education of our youth?
Another important step that the government can take in order to create an easier course back into the classroom, would be to change the liability law. Similar to businesses, reopening schools could result in lawsuits of those who get sick. By changing the liability law, and not holding the school or teachers responsible for the sickness of their students, schools are much more likely to open their doors. With that said, social distancing guidelines should be created and enforced, and if these are broken by faculty, they must still be held liable.
Of course, as time goes on, rules about the reopening of schools will need to be constantly changing. What happens when a vaccine is finally ready? Should schools be requiring it? What about those in low income areas that can not afford it?
This is another thing that needs government funding in order to be resolved. Schools and local pharmacies could offer the vaccine for free, in order to ensure that all students receive it.
While some may consider the economy the most important focus during this pandemic, it’s also important to acknowledge that without proper education, it is extremely difficult for children raised in poverty to advance in our economy. By increasing the amount we spend on education, we will eventually decrease the poverty rates in the United States, therefore strengthening our economy in the long run.
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