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  • Lancet Regional Health – Americas

Health Equity, Schooling Hesitancy, and the Social Determinants of Learning

By: Meira Levinson, Alan C. Geller, Joseph G. Allen and John D. Macomber
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

At least 62 million K-12 students in North America—disproportionately low-income children of color— have been physically out of school for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These children are at risk of significant academic, social, mental, and physical harm now and in the long-term. We review the literature about school safety and the conditions that shape families’ and teachers’ choices to return to in-person schooling. We identify four causes of schooling hesitancy in the U.S. even where schools can be safely reopened: high community transmission rates; the politicization of school re-openings; long-term racialized disinvestment in urban districts; and parents’ rational calculations about their family's vulnerability due to the social determinants of health. Given the deep interconnections between the social determinants of health and of learning, and between schooling hesitancy and community vulnerability, stark inequities in in-person schooling access and take-up are likely to persist. We recommend that school districts invest in scientifically-based facilities upgrades, increased nursing and counseling staffing, and preparation for schools to serve as pediatric vaccination sites. School districts should also apply lessons from public health about addressing vaccine hesitancy to the challenge of schooling hesitancy by investing time in humble listening to parents and teachers about their concerns.

Keywords

COVID-19; Public Health; Air Quality; Social Determinants Of Health; Schooling Hesitancy; Vaccine Hesitancy; Racial Injustice; Inequity; Inequality; Health Pandemics; Education; Health Care and Treatment; Policy; Race; Equality and Inequality

Citation

Levinson, Meira, Alan C. Geller, Joseph G. Allen, and John D. Macomber. "Health Equity, Schooling Hesitancy, and the Social Determinants of Learning." Art. 100032. Lancet Regional Health – Americas 2 (October 2021).
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About The Author

John D. Macomber

Finance
→More Publications

More from the Authors

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    The First Four Healthy Building Strategies Every Building Should Pursue to Reduce Risk from COVID-19

    By: Joseph G. Allen, Emily Jones, Marissa V. Rainbolt, Linsey C. Marr, David Michaels, Leslie R. Cadet, Shelly L. Miller, Meira Levinson, Lidia Morawska, Richard L. Corsi, Nira R. Pollock, Yuguo Li, Alasdair P.S. Munro, Kelly Grier, Qingyan Chen, John D. Macomber and Xiaodong Cao
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More from the Authors
  • Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Can Make You Sick—or Keep You Well By: Joseph G. Allen and John D. Macomber
  • The First Four Healthy Building Strategies Every Building Should Pursue to Reduce Risk from COVID-19 By: Joseph G. Allen, Emily Jones, Marissa V. Rainbolt, Linsey C. Marr, David Michaels, Leslie R. Cadet, Shelly L. Miller, Meira Levinson, Lidia Morawska, Richard L. Corsi, Nira R. Pollock, Yuguo Li, Alasdair P.S. Munro, Kelly Grier, Qingyan Chen, John D. Macomber and Xiaodong Cao
  • Sekisui House and the In-Home Early Detection Platform By: John D. Macomber and Akiko Kanno
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