Education Equity in the Age of COVID-19

Recognizing that the COVID-19 crisis stands to widen opportunity gaps in Minnesota’s school system, The Minneapolis Foundation this week released a new report on education equity in a time of distance learning. “Implementing Principles of Reimagine Education in a Period of Remote Teaching and Learning: Education Equity in the Age of COVID-19″ includes research-based insights for educators, actions for policy makers, and practical tips for parents.

“The pandemic has disrupted ‘normal’ for every school in America, and the move to remote learning is posing huge challenges for everyone,” said R.T. Rybak, President and CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation. “Yet it’s also true that a ‘return to normal’ is not what we’re aiming for—not if that means that you can still predict a child’s education and life outcomes by knowing their race and ZIP code.”

“Day by day, COVID-19 threatens to widen opportunity gaps that Minnesotans have fought long and hard to close in our education system,” Rybak said. “In this report, you’ll find direction from many Minnesota homegrown experts, community members, and school leaders whose viewpoints were incorporated into this work.”

The new report complements an earlier one issued last fall, “Expanding the Vision of Reimagine Minnesota,” which provides overviews of current research and practical recommendations for collective action to ensure that all students receive an equitable, integrated and excellent education. Both reports were commissioned by the Minneapolis Foundation and produced by a team of researchers led by Dr. Michael Rodriguez at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development.

Both reports build on a body of work that has been led since 2016 by school superintendents with the Association of Metropolitan School Districts, with intensive input from students, parents, cultural representatives, business leaders and other community members.