How the Global Pandemic Has Impacted Stakeholder Engagement in Public Schools

• In Event: Government Agencies and the COVID Pandemic

Abstract

The global pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color in the United States and disrupted normal day-to-day operations of government agencies in ways that have yet to be fully understood. This is especially true in public education where schools are just beginning to reopen in some areas of the United States with students learning predominantly online. How the pandemic and remote learning environments have impacted existing partnerships and engagement with minority populations is the focus of the following investigation. I use a survey of public school districts that receive Indian education formula grants in the United States to explore how the pandemic has impacted partnerships with Native American stakeholders from the perspective of district superintendents. The findings contribute to our understanding of how a global health crisis can disrupt normal channels of engagement and communication especially with at-risk populations.

Author

• Thaddieus W. Conner, New Mexico State University