Even before the pandemic, about 70% of students had a district-provided device or access to the internet, Carvalho said. The district had started revising a learning plan for school shutdowns at the end of December and early January, when it was clear the coronavirus was ravaging parts of Asia.

As Miami’s school buildings closed, the district rushed to provide 90,000 more devices and around 11,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, Carvalho said.

Still, thousands of students will inevitably backslide. Not just in Miami, but everywhere. It’s Carvalho’s most pressing worry.

“We are bracing ourselves for an unprecedented, historic academic regression experienced by our most fragile population of students,” he said.