Giving Compass' Take:

• In this podcast, school districts and technology experts discuss how schools can play a role in educational equity for students and families transitioning to home learning due to COVID-19.

• For home and online learning, there are many issues regarding access to technology for students. How can schools address this challenge with an equity lens?

•  Learn more about how to support children's development and learning at home. 

By now the coronavirus, and the resulting fallout, has impacted just about every family in one way or another. Students are out of school, unemployment is rising and social distancing could take a psychological toll. But not everyone is equally affected.

Nearly 30 million low-income students rely on schools for breakfast or lunch, leaving schools scrambling to make new plans. Fourteen percent of households with school-age children do not have internet access, most of which earn less than $50,000 a year. And research indicates that students from low-income backgrounds could fall further behind their peers if learning stops too long and the country sinks into recession.

That makes the conversation about education equity essential. But the term doesn’t just mean equipping students with the same devices and broadband access. Schools also play an important role in boosting at-home learning among families.

Last week, Howard was a guest on an hour-long, interactive webinar, Understanding the Impact of Coronavirus on K-12 Education, hosted by EdSurge and ISTE, our parent organization. It is a recurring weekly series on Fridays 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET. Joining her were Patricia J. Brown, a technology specialist for the Ladue School District in Missouri, and Matt Highfield, a teacher on special assignment focused on equity for the Beaverton School District in Oregon.

Listen to the audio below or check out the full video on YouTube. Below is a partial, condensed transcript below, which has been lightly edited for clarity.

Read the full article about equity in education during COVID-19 by Stephen Noonoo at EdSurge.