According to the Boston Globe, (12/12/2020) “nearly one quarter of Boston Public High School students did not log into classes this fall as schools remained closed and course failure rates rose.” Only about 86 percent of students from kindergarten through grade 12 went online each day. More than 4,000 students in the city’s three dozen high schools did not click into classes or receive their assignments.
Among students in grades 6-12, failure rates for the first academic quarter rose to 18 percent in English classes from 12.4 percent the previous year. Increases in failure rates in other subjects were similar. Educational inequality widened as students who learned from home faced challenges from lack or poor parental support and technology challenges Black and Latino students experienced the largest increase. The greatest impact is affecting immigrant students who struggle with language problems as well as unreliable Internet service.
Also affected are physically and mentally challenged students. Young children (kindergarten and first-grade students) find that sitting in front of a computer for the entire day produces anxiety and stress. Students with disabilities, including attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity disorder or severe sensory disorders face the greatest challenges. In Boston, fewer than 200 students with profound disabilities are receiving in-person instruction.
This is having an impact on colleges as well. Fifty-three percent of high school graduates filed for colleges this fall, down sharply from the previous year.
What is not known whether this is impacting the city’s dropout rates. Another problem is how schools will narrow the gap between students who successfully logged on and those who didn’t.