VOICES FROM THE FIELD

Responding to rapidly evolving disruptions in education and homelife caused by the COVID-19, PEAS (In Pursuit of Equity, Accountability and Success) is taking a lead by hosting a virtual Charla (conversation) to hear directly from Latinx communities struggling with school closures and interrupted learning.  Participants from across the Commonwealth will come together to discuss challenges and opportunities and together paint a picture of the extensive hardship faced by Latinx as a result of COVID-19.

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The Charla will take place on Thursday, April 23 at 2:00 PM and feature voices from the field, including youth, parents, community leaders and educators.   It will include an open session for all to participate.

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As a state-wide collaborative, PEAS unites multiple systems and sectors around community, policy, and practitioner-centered solutions to addressing educational inequities for Latinx students in Massachusetts.

“Given that COVID-19 has disproportionally affected Latinx in Massachusetts, we want to fully understand how students and families are dealing with social isolation and the many daunting challenges to continuing students’ education.   A statewide virtual forum will help leaders understand not only gaps that exist between affluent and low-income areas of the state, but also the intensity of the pandemic on minoritized populations everywhere in the Commonwealth,” said Mary Jo Marion, Assistant Vice President for Urban Affairs and the Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University.

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“This forum will provide much needed cultural context to understanding data pointing to dramatic losses in learning if strategies and partnerships are not developed now to address equity issues and learning gaps widened by the pandemic,” said Lorna Rivera, Director of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at UMass-Boston. 

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“We see this gathering as an important opportunity for connecting educational thought leaders, community and industry innovators, and partners to explore ways of designing more equitable educational systems beyond COVID-19,” said Carmen Veloria, Advocacy and Community Relations Advisor for American Student Assistance.

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