Rethinking Program Delivery & Engagement
During the unraveling of this public health crisis, our youth also suffered devastating upheaval in their education. Even before the pandemic, low-income and first-generation students faced major barriers to getting into and completing college due to poorlyresourced schools and communities. COVID-19 has only widened the gap of inequities. In this unprecedented time in education, we stand at a crossroads in our path ahead. With an entirely virtual school year under our belt and the prospect of a return to school campus that looks dramatically different than the past, the school community, students, and Fulfillment Fund face new challenges in keeping students on track, graduating, and persisting through college. 20
We have witnessed the digital divide within our students. Many have little to no access to the technology they need to learn, and in some cases, they lack a dedicated, quiet study space. Lower-income students face increased responsibilities at home; as some parents have lost their jobs, they have had to work to supplement their family’s income or care for younger siblings while their parents are at work. COVID has also disproportionately affected low-income communities, creating additional stressors on already overtaxed families. For the first time in a decade, there is an immense risk that high school dropout rates will rise. Years of progress made toward closing the opportunity gap for low-income and firstgeneration students stand to be reversed.
AN N UAL R E P ORT 2020
