Giving Compass' Take:
- Hallie Busta expands on a survey outlining instructors' concerns that online class formats necessitated by the pandemic are disadvantaging low-income students.
- In what ways might financial resources affect a student's ability to succeed in online classes? What can you do to help address inequities in the American education system?
- Read about falling rates of college enrollment among low-income Americans.
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College faculty are concerned the pandemic is widening gaps in student success and equity, per a recent survey of more than 850 instructors teaching introductory courses. The instructors, who represent more than 600 two- and four-year colleges, say course drops or withdrawal rates increased this fall, and more so at schools with larger shares of students eligible to receive Pell Grants.
Faculty members teaching introductory courses can offer important insight in this area, the report notes, as students who don't succeed early in college are more likely to drop out. Students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds are particularly vulnerable, in part because they are more likely to be placed in remedial courses that sap their financial aid and don't always count toward a degree.
Read the full article about equity concerns among college instructors by Hallie Busta at Higher Ed Dive.