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Disparities in Educational Access in the Time of COVID: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Panel of American Families

General Information

Title
Disparities in Educational Access in the Time of COVID: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Panel of American Families
Author
Shira K. Haderlein, Anna Rosefsky Saavedra, Morgan S. Polikoff, Daniel Silver, Amie Rapaport and Marshall Garland
Publication Type
Journal paper
Outlet
AERA Open
Year
2021
Abstract
We use data collected between April 2020 and March 2021 from the Understanding America Survey, a nationally representative internet panel of approximately 1,450 households with school-age children, to document the access of American households to K–12 education during the COVID-19 crisis. We also explore disparities by parent race/ethnicity, income, urbanicity, partisanship, and grade level (i.e., elementary school vs. middle/high school). Results shed light on the vectors of inequality that occurred throughout the pandemic in access to technology, instruction, services (e.g., free and reduced-price meals), and in-person learning opportunities. Our work highlights the equity implications of the pandemic and suggests the importance of encouraging widespread in-person learning opportunities and attendance by the beginning of the 2021–2022 school year for addressing COVID-19’s educational effects.