Equity issues of online learning

A VIRTUAL

Equity issues exacerbated by continuation of online learning

DUA MOBIN CHIEF MARKETING MANAGER

ADVANTAGEOUS ALTERNATIVE — Elementary students attend private learning pods in small groups that are supervised by a teacher. They get assistance with their homework to help them cope with online learning. (Photo by Dua Mobin)

As FCPS students throughout the county began the school year in front of their computers, myriad problems started to accumulate behind their screens. From lagging internet to familial responsibilities, some students face a number of disadvantages while navigating through their academics in the new virtual realm.

Every household encounters its own unique set of challenges depending on its socioeconomic condition. The financial situations of students and their families can heavily impact their virtual learning experience.

“Region Three [which includes pyramids such as Hayfield and Edison] is considered to be one of the poorest regions in the county. A lot of our students come from immigrant households and are part of marginalized minority groups,” John R. Lewis High School senior Kimberly Boateng said. “A lot of us have different living situations. I live in a townhouse, and I have six people in my family.”

Although socioeconomic gaps have historically existed in Fairfax County, the pandemic and the introduction of virtual learning have significantly widened those gaps.

“There’ll be students who are doing a lot better because they have access to a tutor or learning enrichments, and other students who don’t even have parents that are able to help them navigate through an online course,” Boateng said.

One of the major concerns students have is their access to effective technology, specifically WiFi.

“Sometimes the WiFi goes out, or there are connection problems, and then I’ll be late to class or I’ll miss class,” senior Shifa Zalawar said.

Because of technical issues, some students are forced to take alternative methods such as switching locations in search of accessible internet.

“Since [my WiFi] was messed up for a few days, I went to my aunt’s house to do school,” Zalawar said. “So I guess I had a backup plan, just in case my WiFi ever went out, but it’s just [inconvenient] for the other kids out there that don’t have a backup plan. Some kids don’t have access to WiFi at all. They have to go somewhere else like a public library. That’s terrible because public libraries aren’t even open for more than 30 minutes. So they just don’t have access to an education.”

In addition to financial and technical disadvantages, a number of students are heavily laden with family responsibilities amid the pandemic.

“My friend whose parents unfortunately got sick from coronavirus has been taking time off school during his senior year to take care of his family and his siblings and manage everything,” Boateng said.

A VIRTUAL INEQUITY

Equity issues exacerbated by continuation of online learning ALEENA GUL NEWS EDITOR

While some students have the responsibility to take care of their family members, others are put in challenging positions as they cope with noise or distractions, like junior Auvai Ramilingam.

“[My brother] plays the trumpet during my school [hours] and it is really loud and distracts me from my work,” Ramilingam said. “We are in separate rooms, but we can hear his trumpet playing throughout the house. If I’m talking to someone else in breakout groups, they can hear his trumpet playing, so I can’t talk that much in class.”

Not all students have the luxury of living in big homes with more than enough accommodations. Many students struggle to find a suitable area to work away from distractions and have a hard time adjusting to their situations.

“I can’t sing inside because everyone would hear me,” said senior Elizabeth Hughes, a member of the Madrigal Treble Choir. “I have to go outside to sing which can be challenging especially if the weather is not good. Treble Choir is the first period of the day so it’s pretty cold at 8 o’clock in the morning.”

County officials are aware of increasing equity issues and aim to help students voice their struggles to the school board.

“I think the equity issues that we’re concerned about are absolutely still relevant and if anything are even more pressing,” Fairfax County School Board member-at-large Abrar Omeish said. “We had a work session with the minority student achievement Oversight Committee

and I was really trying to push for more regular meetings because this is going to be a year when we may anticipate [many more] gaps.”

Omeish said she is working to help support students from lowincome households or marginalized communities. The school board is trying to develop a plan to track this and support targeted populations of students who tend to struggle the most.

“Dr. Brabrand presented three main metrics for us to consider when we open,” Omeish said. “One is the health and safety of the situation. Another one was implementation and school preparedness. And the third was school preparedness in the sense of if there’s a case and our ability to handle it. I was really pushing for a fourth metric for looking at student success metrics.”

Younger elementary and middle school students who are not academically independent and are unable to receive support from home struggle to cope with their schoolwork. Some parents have resorted to paying for learning pods.

“It has been wonderful for the kids because they have supervision during the school hours and [assistance] for school assignments,” said Silvia Hidalgo, a Kent Gardens Elementary School parent. “It is very beneficial for them because they have a small group with a teacher just for them.”

While some students have access to these privately run pods, the majority of families do not have the finances for this resource.

“The school system should provide a reliable system for everybody and make sure that everyone is getting a good education and is academically independent whether they go to a learning pod or not,” Hidalgo said. “Because if you go to a learning pod, you have to pay, so [virtual learning] is not equal for everyone.” Since students with disabilities face some of the most disadvantages in their learning, the school board plans to reopen schools for special education students before others. “They’re going to start with certain high school classes like special ed [classes], especially for students with enhanced autism as some of those kids are not receiving what they need right now,” Omeish said Although some students will be returning to school, most students facing adversity amid the pandemic are unable to receive support to aid their situation. “We’re all in the same ocean but some of us have cruise ships and some of us are in little tug boats. We’re not all in the same boat,” Boateng said. “Some of us are just struggling to stay afloat.”