COVID-19 school closures accelerate education inequities in Ontario: U of T researchers

A report on the impact of school closings in Ontario due to COVID-19 suggests that educational inequalities are widening, particularly among vulnerable groups.

The report prepared for Ontario’s Science Advisory Table says that we should expect ongoing negative consequences for student lifelong incomes and the economy due to the educational losses caused by the pandemic.

Elizabeth dhuey
(Photo by Ken Jones)

“I think the narrative right now is that kids are resilient – that they’ll recover from it and catch up,” says Elizabeth dhuey, Professor in the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough and a lead author on the report.

“What is lost in the conversation is that the evidence shows that this is not necessarily the case – that the loss of education has very real consequences.”

Elementary and secondary schools in Ontario are closed longer than any other province in Canada – 23 weeks since May 14.

The 11 authors of the report – including them Lance McCready, Associate Professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Beate Sander, Associate Professor at the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, and Karen Borne, an assistant professor at IHPME – say the closure of schools and the move to virtual learning in the classroom had the biggest impact on vulnerable populations, a group that includes students with lower socioeconomic backgrounds, racialized children, newcomers to Canada, and high school students with Disabilities.

Dhuey says obstacles like lack of access to high-speed internet or computers and participatory devices in school cause some students to simply stop learning.

The study’s authors add that school closings have also adversely affected students’ mental and physical health due to the loss of access to subsidized meals, school health services, and the social benefits of routine and structure.

They recommend implementing educational recovery strategies to mitigate the effects of the disruption. This includes treating schools as an essential service and keeping them open where circumstances allow. Dhuey says it would require a stronger commitment to safety practices and accelerated vaccination of all education workers, parents and children to be the last places to close and the first to reopen schools.

Another strategy is to allocate additional resources to tailor curricula, instruction, and student support to the target groups most disadvantaged by the pandemic.

“This can be individual or class-specific support as some children may be fine but others need additional support,” says Dhuey, adding that some students may take a few months to a full year to catch up.

“The challenge is that it is difficult to adapt the curriculum quickly or easily.”

The report also outlines the economic costs due to educational losses. It is estimated that a month of skill loss due to absence from school could result in a one percent decrease in lifetime income for students. It is also estimated that the loss of education due to the pandemic may reduce national income by 0.5 percent per year, roughly equivalent to a $ 1.6 trillion GDP loss for Canada.

“Even if you don’t have school-age children, or if you are looking at it from a purely selfish perspective, as an Ontario resident you should be very concerned,” said Dhuey, an expert on the economics of education.

She says the loss of education will have an impact on future job markets and overall economic growth in Ontario and Canada. “I think many ignore this fact because it is difficult to gauge the long-term consequences of this problem. We tend to think only of the short-term consequences. ”

The good news is that there may be ways to mitigate some of the effects of a loss of education.

Dhuey says an emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring that high school students graduate and receive the education required for post-secondary study and employment once they graduate. She says one of the major challenges with the school break was keeping high school students busy and presenting online.

“We know that high school graduation is the greatest economic predictor,” she says, adding that nurturing younger students might be easier as they stay in school longer.

“I think it is possible to ensure that high school students get the support they need, but it needs to be discussed and given a higher priority than it is now.”

source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/covid-19-school-closures-accelerate-education-inequities-in-ontario-u-of-t-researchers/