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MSI Brief:
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THE BIG
PICTURE
The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live our lives, and the Latino population has faced particularly significant challenges in its wake. Nationally, 94% of Latinos report following the details of this crisis somewhat or very closely [1]—waiting with bated breath to see how this virus might next affect them.
The education sector has also seen massive upheaval; its future hangs in the balance. Funding, remote learning, and attendance are just some of the myriad of challenges faced.
Where these two groups—Latinos and students—intersect, we can capture valuable insight into the nation’s outlook. But first, we must understand them separately.
BEING
LATINO
IN THE
PANDEMIC
Statistically, Latino families have been hit harder financially and educationally, as well as from a health perspective.
Finances
Someone in the Household had to take a pay cut or was laid off from their job [2]
• Latinos: 49%
• All U.S.: 33%
Education
• Among Latino families now home-schooling, 32% don’t have enough computers for their children to use, while 35% have faced technical problems connecting. [1]
• Educators during a town hall with LULAC said that they’re experiencing higher levels of success in schools where less than 20% of students receive free or reduced-price meals. Alternatively, where the number of students on lunch plans increased to 50% or higher, educators reported more problems in ensuring continuity of learning. [4]
Health
• Among COVID-19 deaths for which race and ethnicity data were available, New York City identified mortality rates among Black/African American persons (92.3 deaths per 100,000 population) and Hispanic/Latino persons (74.3) to be substantially higher than that of white (45.2) or Asian (34.5) persons. [3]
• Hispanic Americans expressed greater concern than other groups about contracting COVID-19 and requiring hospitalization. Hispanics were also more likely than blacks or whites to be worried that they might unknowingly spread COVID-19 to others. [2]
Schools of all kinds have been ravaged by the effects of the pandemic, impacting millions of students from kindergarten to college.
COVID
AND THE
CLASSROOM
SECONDARY ED
• High schools, particularly those with more low-income students, have had to suspend classes for the rest of the year—with plans for resuming in the Fall still up in the air.
• On March 12, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that it would consider targeted one-year waivers on assessment and accountability requirements that could be impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Waivers could relax state assessment requirements and identification of low-performing schools if schools are closed for a significant portion of the year. [6]
• The College Board has announced plans to allow students to take Advanced Placement (AP) tests from home. Because of disruptions in testing, several schools have announced plans to remove ACT/SAT requirements for admissions and become test-optional. [6]
HIGHER ED
• Moody’s Investors Services identifies regional publics and small privates as the colleges most likely to face financial challenges. [5]
“Even assuming Fall 2020 operations return to near-normal, colleges and universities already facing competitive challenges will likely confront greater enrollment volatility and will increase financial aid to bolster enrollment prospects.”
• Community colleges received disproportionately less with the CARES Act. While community colleges educate almost 40% of students, they only received about 27% of the CARES Act funds due to regulations. Had CARES funding been allocated based on the total number of students, public colleges of two years or fewer would have received 39% of the funding.
What does this mean for LATINO STUDENTS?
For those Latinos who are also students, the challenges are compounded as they are tasked with bearing the brunt of both storms.
• Many Latino students will be asked to help their families financially and/or will not be able to return to school due to a reduction in family financial resources.
• Lacking much of the technology resources at home, continuing education remotely will be more challenging for them.
• Latino students may be asked to take on additional household responsibilities, like taking care of older intergenerational household members, as well as helping younger siblings with their school work.
• With Community Colleges being disproportionately hit harder financially, and with a substantial Latino student base, the question becomes, how might larger public universities step up? Yet, even large public universities are experiencing their own budgetary pressures, complicating matters further.
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WHAT’S NEXT?
To endure this crisis, higher education will need to become even more relevant and accessible, presenting more flexible and cost-effective approaches to learning. Survival will depend upon relevancy for an increasingly diverse body of students, employers, and communities.
Now is a moment for exploration, when testing and learning new educational modalities, content, and delivery mechanisms are essential. It is a moment to more deeply consider our audiences, explore which messages resonate, and re-establish meaningful connection in the “new normal.” This is the moment to establish the “new normal.”
SOURCES: [1] SOMOS, SURVEY OF 1200 LATINOS MARCH 7-14. [2] PEW RESEARCH CENTER, APRIL 2020. [3] CDC MAY 2020. [4] NEA. [5] INSIDEHIGHERED.COM. [6] HTTPS://WWW.NCSL.ORG/RESEARCH/EDUCATION/PUBLIC-EDUCATION-RESPONSE-TO-CORONAVIRUS-COVID-19.ASPX
