Public health crises compounded: A high school equivalency context in the time of a pandemic

Abstract

High school equivalency (HSE) is a recognised alternative to a high school diploma in the United States. It offers an opportunity to a range of disadvantaged adult learners such as school dropouts, refugees etc. to attain an educational certificate enabling them to move on in their life. This article presents an autoethnographic case study of a non-profit HSE programme in Philadelphia during the COVID-19 pandemic. The four authors of this article, all of them instructors on the front line of the youth crisis in adult education, explore the broader context of non-governmental organisation (NGO) management and privatised HSE exams. In their research and their reflections, they found that the pandemic exacerbated existing economic and social inequalities, with both pre-pandemic and current delivery of their HSE programme failing to address the survival needs of a population which has long been living in crisis. Juxtaposing relevant youth-in-crisis literature with narratives both from before the pandemic and whilst living through it, the authors of this article discuss the funding and institutional constraints around the environment in which they teach. Their case study sheds light on competing priorities within the non-profit education landscape, highlighting both pitfalls and successes in HSE curriculum and administration. The authors conclude that rapid adaptation to online teaching tools, platforms and products is not the panacea that many outcomes generators would like it to be.