Black Families Face Big Obstacles Transitioning to Remote Learning. But There’s Help.

The pandemic has forced many families to retool and figure out how to make school work in front of a computer screen. It’s been easier for some families than others; Black and Brown families are having an especially tough time with the adjustment as they face societal barriers that other families don’t have to contend with. 

“The reality is more families are tapping out.” — Bernita Bradley, Engaged Detroit

One Detroit mother of two founded a homeschool co-op to help families meet the needs of students who have moved to remote learning during the pandemic. Now, she’s speaking out about the position Black families are put in as they try to adjust to the new reality of virtual school.

Listen: The founder of the Engaged Detroit homeschool co-op talks about how Black families in Detroit are handling schooling during the pandemic.

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Bernita Bradley is the founder of Engaged Detroit, a homeschool co-op helping families meet the needs of students who have moved to remote learning during the pandemic. She says families have simply been giving up because they don’t have the proper supports.

“The reality is more families are tapping out,” says Bradley. “I don’t know how many families will be missing if we go back to school in March in person. But my stance is, I don’t want families to just tap out either. Because if they decide they don’t want to go back to school, I want them to know how not to.”

Related: Pandemic Learning May Have Made Some Black Parents Homeschool Converts | WDET

Bradley says the switch to remote learning was “catastrophic” for her family when the pandemic began. She says families like hers are seeing real benefits from services like Engaged Detroit.

“The reality is the parents are starting to see a love for learning,” she says, adding that parents need to do what’s necessary in 2021 to make sure their kids are staying engaged in their education. “This is not homeschooling — this is pandemic schooling.”