Education Equity: An Evaluation of Present Conditions: Will the US Be Able to Be an Educational Leader?

Abstract

COVID-19 resulted in school closures on a global scale. However, the most significant closures appear to be in North America. Educational disruption is anticipated to impact educational attainment in terms of drop-out rates but more significantly with respect to exacerbating pre-pandemic educational inequity and corresponding poverty. This discussion evaluates the impact of COVID-19 on the United States through a case-study review of Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Latvia. The case studies highlight that poor and marginalized populations irrespective of geography are vulnerable to economic shocks. Further, COVID-19 has prompted greater transparency of the inequities faced by marginalized groups and by doing so, increased the visibility of the need for intervention. Through an evaluation of literacy, the discussion addresses the impact of normalized US racism on educational equity and economic growth and highlights how a legacy of race-based policies may impact the resiliency of the United States specific to the present pandemic.