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The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has swiftly become a major dilemma for educational leaders internationally and specifically in schools in the United States. As a result, educators and students have replaced face-to-face teaching and learning with virtual education. School leaders and educators are challenged with relying on technology devices to sustain previous learning and continue with teaching curriculum requirements. This article explores the impacts of COVID-19 on academic achievement, the perceived widening of the achievement gap for various student populations in United States schools, and nutritional health. The shift from traditional learning to virtual learning has magnified the gap in educational disparities among students. This article discusses the inequities experienced by students attending American schools and explores research from various authors. Techniques utilized by school leaders to address these inequities are discussed, as is how COVID-19 will reshape the field of education in the future.
Students attendingArkansas schools first began to feel the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in March 2020. Not only did COVID-19 usher in fears, but it also magnified the educational disparities already experienced by many students in highpoverty areas. These students went from enjoying the safety and security often provided by schools to struggling to complete virtual assignments and find adequate food to eat. Although teachers have bravely embraced the transition from face-toface learning to virtual education, it would be hard to argue that students are still being provided with the same rigorous education they received in the classroom weeks and months before this pandemic hit the United States. It is my stance that the COVID-19 pandemic will severely impact students' academic achievement, widen the achievement gap, and damage nutritional health.
Academic Impacts of COVID-19
The first impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has severely affected students' academics. School leaders and educators were forced to utilize quick and creative learning alternatives that aligned with federal and state curriculum needs to communicate and collaborate with students and parents. In the United States, the digital learning platforms vary widely from district to district and from state to state. As an educator, I recognize that some of my students quickly embraced these new remote-learning platforms, while others have struggled to navigate the uncharted waters of virtual learning.
This pandemic has also shined...