Disparities in full-time, in-person learning increased between white and minority students as the pandemic went on, according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
During the pandemic, many school districts switched from full-time, in-person learning to online or “virtual” learning in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
From September 2020 to December 2020, 38% of white students had access to full-time, in-person learning, as did 32.3% of black students, 35.9% of Hispanic students, and 26.3% of other races, according to the CDC study.
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While in-person learning increased for all school children in 2021, it increased the most for white students, widening the gaps in in-person learning between whites and other races. In-person learning increased to 74.6% for whites from January 2021 to April 2021, to 63.4% for blacks, 58.9% for Hispanics, and 56.9% for all other races.
“Disparities in full-time in-person learning by race/ethnicity existed across school levels and by geographic region and state,” the authors of the study said. “These disparities underscore the importance of prioritizing equitable access to this learning mode for the 2021–22 school year.”
Research has shown students tend to do better when in the classroom versus learning online. Studies have shown that online learning is associated with worse learning outcomes and declines in mental and behavioral health.
The study also found that students in the South had the highest rate of in-person learning, on average, at 62.5%. The rates in the Midwest, Northeast, and West were 37.1%, 16.2%, and 21.8%, respectively.
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The study had a number of limitations, including sampling primarily from larger school districts and not smaller ones in the United States.
