The Juggling Act: Black Students Navigating Concurrent Conditions of Low-Performing Schools and COVID-19

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Step One, Liberate Minds: An Exploration of Research and Practice in K–12 Settings (Table 12)

Abstract

In early 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic caused nationwide closure of schools. During this time, already present conditions of school inequity—systemic of racial and class inequity—were compounded with challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study uses interview data from Black students attending a low-performing high school at distinct phases of national school closures (the initial shutdowns of schools and the gradual/intermediate re-opening using hybrid remote formats) to examine the particular challenges created by these intersecting conditions. Leveraging student voice, and incorporating a critique of color-evasiveness, findings highlight poignant challenges Black remote and hybrid learners encountered in terms of persisting under resourcing and racially irresponsive teaching practices and school policies.

Author

• Travis E. Dumas, Rutgers University