It’s the end of the 2019-20 school year. In any other year, students would be preparing for finals. Teachers would be planning end of the year projects, trips, and parties. Parents, for the most part, would still be following the game plan they had followed all year: diligently checking online grading systems or trusting their child is telling the truth that everything at school is “fine.”

This is not any other year.

This is the year of the novel coronavirus. The year of covid. The year the world turned upside down, shutdown schools and businesses, and stayed safe at home. This is the year inequities in educational opportunities became glaringly apparent to those who likely should have known. When school shut down in March, some schools were prepared for students to truly learn at home. Each student had his or her own device, and teachers were prepared and able to do e-learning, complete with live video lessons, online tutoring sessions, interactive assignments, and teleconferences. Many of those schools were 1:1 for technology with both teachers and students: laptops for everyone, online libraries, elmos and projectors for staff, cell phones for teachers to contact families. There was no question at these schools that learning would continue.

For other districts, the same could not be said. In those districts, schools were inundated with requests to borrow technology. Students went to schools to sit in cars near enough to use the school wifi. Programs had to be established to provide meals to students who would otherwise have no meals at home. Families had to choose who would be able to use the one or two devices available in their households. Teachers who had previously been committed to not updating their skills floundered at the task of using technology they had never used before. For many of our nation’s larger districts, that meant providing “enrichment” activities that students would not be held accountable to complete.

So what does all of this mean? Will our children be held accountable in a year (or two or three) when colleges are forced to deal with the impact of this year on education? Will the children who, through no fault of their own, had less opportunities for innovative instruction be found lacking in comparison to their more privileged counterparts? How did your child’s school district measure up in comparison to other schools in your state? In the country?

As your district finalizes grading for the year, it’s important that you ask questions:

• Where did these grades come from?
• Did my child have adequate access to instructional materials and teachers?
• Did I do my part to ensure my child was keeping up, not only in understanding what was expected but also in turning in any required materials?
• Have I reached out to my child’s teachers and counselors to find out if there are any opportunities this summer if my child needs additional support to be ready for school in the fall?
• What should we expect for the fall?

Education is changing. Don’t wait for someone to tell you what the changes are; ask questions now, pay attention to school board meetings and minutes. Check your email for communication from your child’s principal. Be prepared to advocate for your kid. Find out how you can help your kid’s school get closer to being 1:1 with technology. If you are part of the fortunate population that has all that it needs, find out if there’s something you can do to help the school of a family member or friend.

Good luck. Be well.