Abstract
The global pandemic brought on by the SARS-COVID-19 outbreak literally dismantled and reconstructed U.S. K-12 and post-secondary schools (Darling-Hammond et al., 2020; Office for Civil Rights, 2021) allowing for existing issues in school systems that create and perpetuate inequitable access to educational services and supports to be exposed and worsened (Kuhfeld, Soland, & Lewis, 2022; Kuhfeld, Soland, Lewis, & Mortan, 2022). Even prior to the pandemic, the groups of students that had the greatest disparities in academic achievement and outcomes struggled (Bailey et al., 2021). These students included those from historically marginalized populations such as students of color and students with disabilities (Averett, 2021; DePaoli et al., 2021; Wright et al., 2022). During the pandemic, students who were poor, rural, and/or required an individualized education plan (IEP) often found themselves with little to no support and limited access to distance learning (Herold, 20220; Hill, 2020). These students required levels of individual support and resources that many school districts could not handle (Slavin & Storey, 2022). In this chapter, we will discuss evidence of promising practices to support student outcomes and academic achievement for Black Students on the autism spectrum. Data from a national qualitative study involving interviews with Black mothers of children on the autism spectrum collected during the beginning of the pandemic suggest that the time and physical proximity that these mothers had with their children during the height of the pandemic allowed for opportunities and insight into their children's individual academic needs. Once these "mother/advocates" became "mother/educators," they recognized what their children needed and what they as mothers must do the support them as they engaged in distance learning through their high schools and colleges. Pulling upon resources and connections made prior to the pandemic, many of these mothers figured out ways to support their children. Our interviews suggested that traditional once-a-year meetings with teachers and intervention teams limit parental influence, which is key to their input in the child's learning outcomes. As mothers became more familiar with the academic needs and strengths of their child, they were more equipped to strengthen school-community partnerships to support the implementation of the IEP for their children. As parents became educational facilitators they better understood the curriculum and had a voice in the learning process. In conclusion, the global pandemic school shutdown revealed cracks in special education, but for marginalized populations such as Black families of children with disabilities, these cracks became chasms. Findings from this analysis give evidence on how schools can (a) re-think their approaches to partnering with Black families and (b) transform previously superficial partnerships with families to authentic collaborations that support student outcomes.