DENVER, Colorado — Educators across the country will spend the coming months preparing for the possibility of resuming in-classroom instruction in the fall. Whatever that looks like (if it happens at all), educators know that students will come back behind, especially lower-income students without the same resources as some of their peers.
“They’re going to need to really think about how to catch everybody up but largely catch up the students who maybe didn’t have access to technology or live in a region without broadband or who don’t have one or more parents able to stay home with them in the school day and assist them with their work,” said Erin Anderson, assistant professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Denver.
Denver Public Schools, for instance, has already spent more than $3.5 million on laptops and internet hotspots for students who need it. Many of those students already struggle in school.
“For those behind already, this becomes, unfortunately, an additional slide in terms of educational gaps we’re seeing,” said Mark Ferrandino, deputy superintendent of operations for Denver Public Schools.
Districts will have to hyper-focus on those students in lower-income families as well as students with learning disabilities, all while facing massive budget shortfalls.
Lack of in-person instruction, elimination of testing and the potential trauma associated with a deadly virus guarantees that every student, not just those without resources, comes back behind. Anderson says she’s hearing a wide-variety of approaches by districts in how to to conduct remote learning right now. So, a student in one school district is likely not receiving the same instruction as a student in a different district.
While districts are currently talking about playing catch-up by increasing seat-time, extending school days, adding homework, implementing social distancing and other safety measures, there will be another common concern that will transcend the education system.
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“I think this has been very scary and anxiety-inducing for kids, and they’re trying to make sense of it,” Anderson said. “There’s going to be a lot of rebuilding relationships, rebuilding engagement and rebuilding school culture that I think is going to have to happen before I think they can really make up those learning losses.”
Addressing the inevitable mental health problems associated with COVID-19 will require districts to keep counselors despite funding cuts. The Colorado Joint Budget Committee will give the state an idea of how big cuts will be on May 12 and districts will set their budgets shortly after, despite not knowing what the future of education looks like without a vaccine.
Anderson said teachers and administrators may need help too.
“I think everybody realizes that the learning happening now is important but that we really need to just protect and care for each other in this time and that’s just as important as the learning," she said.
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