Assistant Professor Austin Wright Discusses COVID-19 Policy Impact on Educational Inequities

Harris Public Policy Assistant Professor Austin Wright was featured in the New York Daily News, co-authoring an op-ed detailing the ways in which school closures will make success more difficult for poor and at-risk students.

"This [importance of school to achievement] was true for Austin, who attended Memorial High School in San Antonio, Tex," the two authors write. "Of Memorial's students, nearly 95% are economically disadvantaged and more than 80% are classified as at risk of dropping out. Spending time with teachers and coaches before and after school changed the trajectory of Austin's life, setting him on the path to a college scholarship."

This personal experience informs the article's viewpoint on measures to alleviate the negative effects of measures to fight COVID-19. "We are re-orienting society to avoid harm to those most at risk from the disease," write the co-authors. "It is a moral imperative that we also take actions to help those most harmed by the response."

Full coverage available at New York Daily News.