ERIC Number: ED657325
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Mar
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Impact of COVID on College-Going: Equity Implications for the Classes of 2020 and 2021
John Papay; Ann Mantil; Richard Murnane; Alan Perez
Grantee Submission
This report examines the trends in post-secondary education in Massachusetts following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts has had historically high rates of college enrollment and a highly educated labor force. We focus on two groups of high school graduates: those in the high school class of 2020, whose final year of high school and entry into college were severely disrupted by the onset of the pandemic, and those in the class of 2021, whose junior and senior years looked dramatically different than expected as most high schools relied on remote or hybrid instruction. While college-going rates had been increasing over the past decade, the pandemic reversed this trend. In Massachusetts, high school graduates in the class of 2020 enrolled at the same rate as those in the class of 2005, essentially erasing 15 years of progress. These negative impacts on college enrollment were concentrated among students from low-income families and underrepresented minority (URM) groups, and among students who typically enroll in community colleges. These patterns have serious implications for equity and suggest that the dramatic inequalities intensified by the pandemic may continue to grow for these students in future years.
Descriptors: High School Graduates, College Bound Students, College Attendance, College Enrollment, Enrollment Trends, Pandemics, COVID-19, Declining Enrollment, Student Experience, Emergency Programs, Distance Education, Electronic Learning, Low Income Groups, Minority Group Students, Disproportionate Representation, Access to Education, Equal Education
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Center for Education Research (NCER) (ED/IES)
Authoring Institution: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Identifiers - Location: Massachusetts
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305H190035
Author Affiliations: N/A