COVID and segregation

Challenges in Segregated Schools during the Corona pandemic

During the corona pandemic, it has been a goal that children and young people should bear as little of the burden of action as possible. Nevertheless, strict infection restrictions have been required in schools to keep the infection pressure under control. This has led to major changes to the everyday school life of students. Many students have felt the consequences of the pandemic, and many have experienced both professional and social losses in the last year and a half.

More specifically, the most segregated schools with the most vulnerable children suffered three overlapping gaps: social (unemployment, precarious housing, isolation), digital (no connectivity, no digital skills) and cultural (difficulty in providing academic support).

We have identified the most significant challenges segregated schools face when it comes to students’ academic and social losses. Five main challenges are summarized below. They are accompanied by those policies designed by cities during the pandemic. Most of these policies are too new to be evaluated but they can be read as examples of how local governments aim to reduce the impact of the pandemic on educational inequalities. As expected, some challenges remain unanswered.