COVID-19 and Education Impact Study: An Exacerbation of Education Inequity in Mississippi

• In Event: Responding to Crises: Education in the Wake of COVID-19

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education in 12 rural, high-poverty school districts in Mississippi. Focus areas for the study included four main themes: broadband access, COVID relief funding, student achievement, and social-emotional impact. Examining the achievement data and lived experiences of students and parents in these districts illuminates the pre-existing inequities in education and how COVID-19 has exacerbated these disparities. Findings reveal the need for increased advocacy for rural schools in the state, policy changes, and additional education funding to help address “the pandemic- –effect” andct as well as the long-standing inequities that continue to plague many school districts across Mississippi.

Authors

• Kim Wiley, Mississippi Center for Justice

• Max Altman, Southern Education Foundation