Reducing Educational Inequity During COVID-19: Family Resilience Through Meaning-Making and Home-School Relationships

• In Event: Created Empowered Educational Spaces for Families and Communities

Abstract

During Spring 2020, to reduce the spread of COVID-19, U.S. schools began providing all instruction online. For children whose families lacked resources such as time and money, learning at home was an especially difficult challenge. To increase our understanding of family resilience among low-income, ethnically diverse families, we interviewed 16 parents of children between 4 and 14 about their experiences of supporting their children’s learning. Using grounded theory, we identified two themes, 1) decrease in social connectedness and heightened need for communication, 2) utilization of school and community resources. These and other themes will be illustrated with sample quotes. Our study provides knowledge of ways to reduce educational inequity by identifying family processes that increase children’s resilience during school closings.

Authors

• Marie-Anne Suizzo, University of Texas at Austin

• Shamecca Perkins, The University of Texas at Austin

• Cambrian Nauman, University of Texas at Austin

• Kevin Silva, University of Texas at Austin

• Bridget Moran, University of Texas at Austin

• Emilie Raphael, University of Texas at Austin