Part 5/16:
The COVID-19 pandemic was a pivotal moment for Erica. She describes it as a “dynamite” that exposed the underlying disparities in American education, highlighting students lacking access to the internet, devices, and proper learning environments. She recalls the inequality starkly through stories of high school and college students trying to study from parking lots just to get Wi-Fi, or families relying on school lunches as their primary meal.
Erica advocates for making education a top priority, especially in addressing the widening achievement gap and social-emotional development setbacks caused by remote learning. She notes that children started school on Zoom with no social interactions, which hindered their social skills development.