The gap between education policy and the practices of actors within school systems in the context of the pandemic. The case of rural high schools in Mexico

Abstract

This article analyzes the differences between education policy guidelines deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, through the Aprende en casa (Learn at Home) program and the practices of actors within school systems. This study focuses on upper secondary education in highly vulnerable rural contexts in Mexico, specifically on community distance-learning high schools. From a methodological perspective that consists of a documental and a qualitative phase, the aim is to shed light on the direction of education policy, taking into account the perspective of the actors involved as well as the specificities of the context. The study found that, despite the triumphalist discourse used by the Secretary of Education, both those responsible for the schools and the teachers do not consider that it was adequate for the needs and conditions of rural areas. For this reason, they had to face the emergency remote education with their own means and strategies.

Keywords: education policy, State and education, rural education