Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni and students discussed educationâs intersection with racial inequality and socioeconomic disparities at a conference Saturday.
The Alumni of Color Conference, which has occurred annually since its first iteration in 2003, was themed âImmunity in Community: Resilience in the Face of a Double Pandemicâ this year.
HGSE Dean Bridget Terry Long, who gave the welcoming address, highlighted what she dubbed a crisis in educational access due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Long also warned that the consequences of inaction around education gaps are great.
âThe widening educational opportunity gaps between children from different backgrounds is undoubtedly one of the greatest risks of the pandemic,â she said. âPredictions suggest that by the fall of 2021, students will have lost three months, up to a year of learning, depending on the quality of their remote instruction.â