Biblioteca

Abstract: Using a rich set of administrative data, westudy the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic ontheeducational trajectoryof students with disabilities in Chile, focusing on the transition to tertiaryeducation.Ourdifference in difference analysisfinds thatthe pandemic decreased theprobability of students with disabilities taking the admission test to tertiary education andenrolling in high-quality tertiary institutions. While the pandemic affected the transition tohighereducation for all students, students with disabilities were more adverselyaffected. Wealso examine how the pandemic affected Chile’s flagship program to support inclusion inmainstream primary and secondary schools (PIE), that also serves as a gateway for inclusion totertiary education. Ourestimates find that the percentage of students receiving services fromPIE declined during the pandemic, only partially recovering for some groups in 2021. Thisdecline, likely reflecting the difficulties of assessing disability status during the closure of in-person schooling, if not mitigated could lead to permanentlearning losses .Understanding howthe pandemic has affectedopportunities forstudents with disabilities is critical for informingpolicies of inclusion