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Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic: Enrollments across the Wisconsin Technical College System
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on minoritized communities. Early impacts of the pandemic on the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) showed that students who face economic barriers were more likely to withdraw from courses due to the pandemic and were essentially losing access to higher education. This analysis evaluates recovery dynamics to assess which student populations have recovered since the start of the pandemic and which populations are still experiencing heightened challenges in accessing WTCS education. The student populations that have experienced the slowest recovery as of Spring 2021 include Black students, Asian students, male students, students with an economic disadvantage, students with disabilities, older students (55 years or older), students enrolled in adult education or English language learning courses, and justice-involved students. These trends match enrollment patterns at the national level and highlight the need for practices that help close educational equity and access gaps.