Determinants of Ethnic Differences in School Modality Choices during the COVID-19 Crisis. EdWorkingPaper No. 21-374

Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.annenberginstitute.org

N

35

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
National Institute on Aging (DHHS/NIH)

U01AG054580

COVID-19; Pandemics; Ethnicity; Racial Differences; Conventional Instruction; Distance Education; Equal Education; Political Issues; School Districts; Correlation; Racial Bias; Minority Group Students; Politics of Education; Blended Learning; Institutional Characteristics; Online Courses; School Closing

A growing body of research and popular reporting shows racial differences in school modality choices during the COVID-19 crisis, with white students more likely to attend school in person. This in-person learning gap raises serious equity concerns. We use unique panel survey data to explore possible explanations. We find that a combination of factors may explain these differences. School districts' offerings, political partisanship, and local COVID-19 outbreaks are all meaningfully associated with and plausibly explain the in-person learning racial gap. As schools start offering more in-person learning, significant efforts may be necessary to ensure that families and students attend those in-person learning opportunities.

As Provided

2021

ED613643