困難重重的功課--為什麼在少數族群的街區很難重啟學校？

 

Obstacle coursework 困難重重的功課

Why reopening schools in minority neighbourhoods is hard

為什麼在少數族群的街區很難重啟學校？

The children who have suffered most from closed schools will be last to go back

學校封閉時折磨最多的孩子將最後返校

Closing public-school buildings during the covid-19 epidemic has had clear academic consequences. McKinsey, a consultancy, reckons pupils are likely to lose between five and nine months of learning on average by the end of this school year. Non-white students, the study reckons, will be six to 12 months behind. Many people, including President Joe Biden, want children to return to the classroom. However, the pupils who have experienced the greatest learning loss will probably be the last to return.

新冠病毒流行期間，關閉公立學校對學術產生明顯的影響。顧問公司麥肯錫（McKinsey）估計，至本學年結束，學生平均可能會失去五到九個月的學習時間。研究認為，非白人學生將落後六至12個月。許多人包括總統拜登在內都希望孩子們回到教室。但是，經歷學習損失最大的學生可能將最後返校。

According to the Understanding America Study at the University of Southern California, 68% of white parents want their children to return to school this academic year. However, only 36% of black parents and 50% of Hispanic parents feel the same way. Much of this difference stems from systemic problems existing before the pandemic which, if left unresolved, could expose black and Hispanic pupils to covid-19 at higher rates than their white peers.

根據南加州大學的《了解美國研究》，68％的白人家長希望他們的孩子在本學年返校，但只有36％的黑人家長和50％的拉丁裔家長頗有同感。這個差別多半源自於疫情前就存在的系統性問題，若是放任不解決，可能造成黑人和拉丁裔學生對新冠肺炎的曝險率高於白人同儕。

Black and Hispanic Americans have many reasons to be even more afraid of covid-19 than white families. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, they are four times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of the virus and three times more likely to die than white Americans are.

黑人和拉丁裔美國人比白人家庭有許多理由更懼怕新冠病毒。根據疾病預防控制中心的數據，他們染疫住院的可能性是美國白人的四倍，且死亡的可能性為三倍。

This fear is compounded by lingering distrust of the medical system, resulting from past mistreatment of racial minorities and present-day discrimination. Alia McCants, a black parent in a suburb of New York City, says her decision-making was influenced by the “disproportionate impact” of covid-19 on her community. “I am much more cautious about exposure to the coronavirus because I know that the likelihood...that we would get the excellent care that a white family of similar means might get is less because we’re black.” Ms McCants and her husband decided to send their children to school in person in September, but reverted to remote learning when case rates began to rise in December.

加深這種恐懼的是對醫療體系揮之不去的不信任，肇因於少數族裔昔日遭受的不公平對待，以及延續至今的歧視。紐約市郊一位黑人家長麥坎茨（Alia McCants）說，新冠肺炎對她社區造成「不成比例的衝擊」，影響了她的決定。「我對暴露於冠狀病毒風險更小心翼翼，因為我知道，我們較不可能取得同等財力白人家庭可能受到的那種細心照護，因為我們是黑人。」麥坎茨和她的丈夫決定在9月親自送孩子上學，但是當確診率在12月開始增加時，又恢復遠距學習。

As well as these concerns, many racial-minority families must contend with schools that have fewer resources to deal with the virus. Black and Hispanic pupils are more likely to attend low-income schools than their white peers. American schools are supported through a combination of federal, state, and local funding. Higher-income communities can typically raise more money per pupil through local property taxes.

除了這些擔憂，許多少數種族家庭還須應付較少防疫資源的學校。黑人和拉丁裔學生比白人同濟更可能進入低收入學校。美國學校透過聯邦、州和地方的資助支持。高收入社區通常可以透過地方財產稅，為每個學生籌集更多資金。

Partly as a result of these funding disparities even before the pandemic, poor schools struggled with overcrowded facilities that lacked proper ventilation for sometimes windowless classrooms. Some teachers struggled to get hold of basic materials such as paper and pencils, with many resorting to their own money and fundraising websites like donorschoose.org to get the supplies they needed.

一部分是因為這些甚至在疫病流行前就存在的資金懸殊，導致窮校勉強以有限設施容納眾多學生，有時教室沒有窗戶，通風不良。一些老師費力去張羅如紙和鉛筆之類的基本材料，其中許多仰賴自己的錢及募款網站如donorschoose.org來獲得所需的物資。

The epidemic has made these problems more urgent. According to the Learning Policy Institute, a think-tank, 10m pupils and 1m public school employees face heightened exposure to covid-19 as a result of defunct ventilation systems in public schools. Elizabeth Ramos, a teacher and union representative at Public School 72 in the Bronx, describes cold New York winter days when teachers and elementary pupils needed to keep windows open and wear coats to ensure adequate ventilation.

流行病使這些問題更加緊迫。根據智庫LPI（Learning Policy Institute）稱，由於公立學校通風系統不管用，1,000萬學生和100萬公立教職員工面臨高度暴露在新冠病毒的風險。布朗克斯公立學校教師拉莫斯（Elizabeth Ramos）和72名工會代表描述紐約寒冬，教師和小學生需要維持窗戶敞開並穿上大衣，以確保充足的通風。

Fortunately, two covid-19 relief packages have provided additional funding for public schools: $13bn disbursed in spring 2020, and $54bn distributed in early January. Michael Griffith of the Learning Policy Institute says this additional funding will cover short-term pandemic needs, such as cleaning supplies and remote-learning technology, but not the long-term needs that have also been exposed. He estimates that schools will need an additional $110bn or so from the federal government to address learning loss: $75bn to pay for extra school days and $36bn for small-group tutoring. He also estimates that schools will need an additional $72bn to repair ventilation systems. Mr Biden has recognised this need, pledging $130bn to support schools.

幸運的是，兩次的新冠紓困方案為公立學校提供額外的資金：2020年春季撥款130億美元，今年1月初分配540億美元。LPI的格里菲斯（Michael Griffith）表示，這筆額外的資金將用於填補短期疫病流行的需求，例如清潔用品和遠距教學設備，但不能滿足長期的需求。他估計，學校將需要從聯邦政府額外的1,100億美元左右來彌補學習損失：750億美元用於支付額外的上課日，360億美元用於小規模的家教。他還估計，學校將需要額外的720億美元來維修通風系統。拜登已經意識到此需求，承諾提供1,300億美元支持學校。

Future measures may also have to account for state revenue lost because of the virus. Kenneth Shores of the University of Delaware points to lessons from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the bill passed in 2009 which included $100bn for education. The bill worked well for the first two years by providing schools with one federal dollar for every dollar lost in the recession. However, after that, the federal government “didn’t have the political willpower or support to keep funding going”, says Mr Shores. This occurred even though 29 states needed more than six years to recover to pre-recession funding levels, according to the Centre on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think-tank. As a result, school budgets were cut and pupils’ test scores fell.

未來的措施可能還必須考慮到，因為病毒而造成各州的稅收損失。德拉瓦大學的修爾斯（Kenneth Shores）指出《美國復甦與再投資》法案的教訓，該法案於2009年通過，內含1,000億美元的教育經費。這項法案前兩年運作良好，學校在經濟衰退期間每損失1美元，聯邦政府就會提供1美元的補助款。不過，修爾斯說，在那之後，聯邦政府「沒有政治意願或支持資助下去」。據智庫預算與政策優先中心稱，即使有29個州需要六年以上的時間才能恢復到衰退前的資金水準，這種情況仍然發生。結果學校預算削減，學生的考試成績也降低。

Throughout the country schools are facing dips in pupil enrolment, which means a significant number of children may have dropped out. Mr Biden has promised to reopen most schools, from kindergarten to 8th grade (ages 12-13), within his first 100 days in office. But this plan must consider the worries of families and teachers, or teachers and pupils may not return. When Chicago public schools partially reopened on January 4th, less than half the teachers required to be there showed up. And the city teachers’ union is threatening to strike. ■

美國各地學校的入學率都面臨下降，這意味著可能有大量的孩子輟學。拜登已承諾在任職首個百日內重新開放大多數學校，從幼稚園到八年級（12至13歲）。但是此計劃須考慮到家庭和老師的顧慮，否則老師和學生可能不會回來。 1月4日芝加哥公立學校部分重新開放時，不到半數的老師出席，且芝加哥教師工會威脅要罷工。 ■