Some Black students in U.S. thrive through remote learning during pandemic: media

WASHINGTON, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Some Black students in the United States have thrived through the distance-learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to an unexpected benefit it has brought: they can evade the biases and institutionalized racism often found in a traditional classroom setting, according to a report published by USA Today on Tuesday.

In addition, parents of Black students are finding opportunities to observe more and advocate when necessary. Students are also dodging negative race-based interpersonal interactions that may have harmed them emotionally and hindered academic performance, according to the report.

"We understood this years ago, that our children were not going to get the type of opportunities that white kids get," Lisa Wilson, principal founder of the California-based CARE Coalition on Anti Racism Education, was quoted as saying. "Education is designed for us to constantly question our humanity. That is what our educational system has done for Black people in America."

Black girls and boys typically receive more disciplinary infractions in school than their counterparts for their hair, the way they are dressed or the way they present themselves, which can often be misunderstood, said Sheretta Butler-Barnes, an associate professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

That, too, has improved in a distance-learning environment. "We are seeing less negative chastisement; they are not being harassed," she said. "At home, they are able to have their identities affirmed."

That is associated with higher achievement outcomes over time. And it creates healthier well-being overall, she added.

While remote learning has brought some advantages, it has also exacerbated educational disparities. Butler-Barnes worried that not enough conversations are taking place about the disparities in schools, especially the ones that often affect Black students.

As students transition back to school, "we are able to really meet the needs of already existing students that were in vulnerable places and that were in schools that were underfunded," she said.