Abstract:

The United States has a long history fraught with educational inequities for the populations most at risk for school failure and disparate educational outcomes such as those living in poverty, students of color, and students with disabilities (Cramer et al., 2018). These issues of inequity have been widely documented in the literature (e.g. Darling-Hammond, 2010; Ford & King, 2014; Oakes, 2010), however COVID-19 highlighted the immediate effects of systemic disparities on children with multiple markers of marginalization.

COVID-19, abruptly forced schools worldwide to switch to distance learning formats that significantly affected instructional delivery and supports. As schools developed and implemented instruction and intervention within remote environments, significant variations existed for how students were educated. For example, some schools provided multiple platforms for accessing education providing face-to-face, hybrid, and virtual options for families. Additionally, many families made choices about learning platforms and educational services that best served their needs given personal, school district, and community resources and access.

As required by US federal legislation (e.g., Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 1997, 2004; Every Student Succeeds Act, 2015), school districts across the US must provide an equitable education to all students. During typical circumstances, students with disabilities have difficulty accessing education and demonstrating performance within the general curriculum if their individualized education plan (IEP) is not well-implemented. Inequitable and unequal educational services are often a concern of stakeholders (e.g., parents, students, advocates; Garcia & Morrow, 2021). Throughout the pandemic, these students faced significant difficulties accessing their specially designed education such as not having access to scheduled instructional personnel, lack of related services, and overall implementation of their IEPs (Sider, 2020).

A review of research on education during and since the pandemic shows that opportunity and achievement gaps for vulnerable populations have widened and discrepancies have been exacerbated. This paper will review the research, highlight the digital divide and other systemic factors contributing to these gaps, and pose possible solutions for educators.

Keywords:

Diverse learners, digital divide, systemic inequities.