Orange County Student Mental Health

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Opportunity Gaps

Source: Digital Promise

Resource Type: Website or Webpage Article

Audience(s): City or County Agency Staff, Community Member or Organization, Educators, Families, Health or Mental Health Professional, School Staff or Administrators, Students

Focus Population: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or People of Color), Foster Youth, Immigrant or Refugee, LGBTQ, Youth in Military Families, Youth with Disabilities

Topics: Culturally Responsive Supports, School Climate and Classroom Supports

A significant challenge districts face is addressing opportunity gaps that leave underrepresented students behind, from access to Pre-K programs to summer learning opportunities. Many district leaders also identify opportunity gaps when looking at the demographics of students enrolled in rigorous, AP, or IB courses, as well as core courses like math and science. Technology serves as another difficult topic. Within some schools and districts there are gaps in access to technology tools and connectivity at home as well as at school. And while many schools strive to use technology to spur deeper learning, schools with large low-income populations sometimes struggle to use technology in creative ways in part because they struggle with traditional accountability measures. Schools are also beginning to identify more nuanced opportunity gaps, such as networking for college and jobs, and how groups of students opt in or out of school activities.