The Deepening Digital Divide

neighborhood news

The Deepening Digital Divide Lack of Devices, Connectivity and Support Hamper Remote Learning

by Eva Herscowitz

As a working parent and parents of young children, virtual learncandidate for Ward 8 State ing often means helping their children Board of Education, Lanavigate not just content, but digital platJoy Law (lajoylaw2020. forms. This became routine for parent com) is dependent on the Grace Hu, who leads the Digital EquiInternet. To stay connected in her home, ty in DC Education (w6pspo.org) coaliLaw has for the last couple of years relied tion, and her elementary school daughter. on a hotspot. However, when the pan“I had to be involved to help her acdemic moved both her daughter’s charcess documents and then upload her ter school and her job online, the need schoolwork,” Hu said. “That’s just really for a faster, more stable connection behard as a working parent.” Some parents came urgent. may not have the technical skills to help,

Law eventually secured affordable, or may not be English speakers which high-speed access from Comcast’s Intercan making helping their child very difnet Essentials program (Internetessenficult if not impossible. tials.com). She hopes her story encourages others to reach out for help.

“There’re some families where Schools Doing it Right children were going to school on their Despite the myriad of problems, some phones,” Law said. “I know how hard it schools and community members have was to not have internet, because I was successfully bridged the digital divide. trying to figure it out.” They serve as models for others facing

With public schools and charter Student and teacher: A student at Eagle Academy Public Charter School works with a teacher. technology challenges in the era of virtuschools opting for online instruction Photo: Karen Alston al learning. this fall due to COVID-19, the District’s Eagle Academy Public Charter digital divide is deepening across racial, net-enabled devices and digital literacy resources. AccordSchool (eagleacademypcs.org) serves economic and geographic fault lines. According to a new ing to the Washington Teachers’ Union (wtulocal6.net), up children in grades pre-K to third at two campuses. Since study conducted by the Alliance for Excellent Education to a quarter of public school students didn’t have a device 2012, the school has issued an iPad to each student for (All4Ed), the National Indian Education Association, the or WiFi by the end of the school year. DC Public Schools classroom use loaded with educational software and age apNational Urban League and UnidosUS, DC has the sec(DCPS) pledged to provide devices for students who do propriate content, Chief Marketing Officer Karen Alston ond largest gap nationally for high-speed internet access benot have them for the 2020-2021 school year. said. Like most schools have since March 2020, Eagle Acadtween white students and Black and Latino students. While The District’s current education budget is too small emy has navigated an uncharted educational landscape. But 27 percent of Black students and 25 percent of Latino stuto supply every DCPS student with a device, according to years spent bridging the digital divide placed the school dents lack home Internet, only five percent of their white Ward 7 State Board of Education Candidate Eboni-Rose “ahead of the curve,” Alston said. peers are similarly disadvantaged. Thompson (ebonirosedc.com). While a student may have Eagle has “always been a high-tech school,” said Joe

In the District, the need for equitable device distribuaccess to a device, it may be shared with siblings, she points Smith, Eagle Academy’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief tion, internet access and tech support has never been greatout. Even if there is access to a device, it may be unsuitable Financial Officer. Over 80 percent of its students were comer. Despite the difficulties, some schools and advocates have for attending virtual classes or completing homework. pletely set up for online instruction within the first week managed to begin to bridge the divide. “The city is assuming every charter school is one that’s of the switch to remote learning last spring. This relatively giving away laptops,” Thompson said. “That’s not true.” smooth transition was built on a strong technological founThe Digital Divide In addition, District student access to the internet varies widely. According to a report released by All4Ed (all4ed. dation and extensive device distribution. iPads are effective for both teacher-guided learning and The District’s digital divide is greatest in Wards 5, 7 and 8, org), 20,278 children lack high-speed home Internet in DC, independent exploration, Smith said. Students often come where resident median household income is lowest. These and 77 percent of those students were Black. upon news articles or math websites on their own. From wards are also home to most of the District’s Black resiEven if a student has a device and broadband access, home, teachers can assess and support students through the dents, many of whom lack broadband internet access, interthey and their parents may run into technical issues. For same platforms utilized in a classroom environment: Fast

WIDE SHOE OUTLET

Men’s and Women’s sizes up to 15 EE Brands: Naturalizer • Soft Spots Ros Hommerson • Propet Walking Cradles • Easy Street

$ 10 off

All Sales Limited Time simplywide.com

Lots & Lots Wide Width Shoes

All Day Comfort

4279 Branch Avenue Marlow Heights, MD 20748 301-702 1401 www.simplywide.com

Savings in store and online

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING WITH US?

Call Carolina Lopez. 202-400-3503 or Carolina@hillrag.com

for more information on advertising.

ForWord, a reading intervention software; Zearn, a digital and hands-on math tool; and short lessons from Khan Academy, among other programs, Eagle Academy Director of Education Sabrina O’Gilvie said.

At Eagle, speech therapists, physical therapists, reading specialists and even art teachers easily shifted their services online.

Guaranteed Internet access for parents and students supported the school’s success. For years, Eagle Academy has assisted families in securing inhome hotspots. As the school year approaches, the institution has worked to establish socially distant, Internet-enabled spaces for students to complete work. Additionally,  ve full-time tech support employees ensure the school’s robust tech network runs smoothly.

Upon graduation, Eagle gifts every third grader an iPad. “When they go on to fourth grade, they are computer  uent,” Smith said. “They know the programs and where to go to help them grow.”

“The children take to technology,” Smith said, “like ducks to water.”

Eagle Academy has tackled the problems of the digital divide head on: device provisioning, broadband access, parental and student technical support and curricular integration. Doing so has allowed students to continue learning amid the unprecedented educational challenges of the pandemic — a feat that has not been universally achieved in other District schools.

Supporting Students and Parents

At a July 27 town hall, DCPS O ce of Data Systems & Strategy Chief Colin Taylor promised to o er parents and students tech support through a dedicated call center.

The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) is responsible overall for the District’s technology initiatives. According to Chief Lindsey Parker, OCTO (octo.dc.gov) wants to unite organizations “across the public, private and non-pro t sectors” working to increase technology access and support. “

“We want to bring these folks together around a singular focus on digital equity to give DC residents a fair shot,” Parker said. OCTO is “currently looking for federal dollars, private grant opportunities, and philanthropic funds,” she added.

Anticipating that these e orts might prove inadequate, former OCTO Program Manager John Capozzi decided to create a non-pro t, youthled community help desk. Intended for students, families and senior citizens, DC Community Help Desk (DCCHD) also connects DC youth to employment opportunities.

“If you want us to help you, describe your prob

A student at Eagle Academy Public Charter School connects to class with an iPad, which the school distributes to all students. Photo: Karen Alston

lem, we’ll give it a try and go from there,” Capozzi said.

The DCCHD can be reached by calling 202-788- 7201 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Email assistance is also available at helpdesk@onramps-dc.org or by completing a web form at https://onramps-dc.org.

But with the sheer number of students learning virtually, can all of these e orts provide District students with a bridge to cross the digital divide?

Looking Forward

Thompson, the DC State Board Ward 7 candidate, believes the hurdles to tech equity are largely monetary.

“I am really concerned we have a missed opportunity in this budget to address some of those issues,” Thompson said. “Unlike a lot of social ills where it takes a lot of policy and changing hearts and minds, the digital divide can actually be solved with dollars. And we have not yet chosen to make that investment.”

For now, parents, even those with more access to devices and tech support, face tough choices.

Law, the Ward 8 Education Board candidate, is choosing to continue remote learning for her daughter, who is especially vulnerable to COVID-19. She encourages school districts to “meet families where they are” and pursue creative solutions to support those in a variety of situations.

With “grace and compassion,” Law hopes the current challenges will push leaders to work toward closing the digital divide.

“It’s time we come up with creative solutions about what we should do,” Law said. “We don’t have to go back to the way things were. We can create a new normal.”

Eva Herscowitz is a journalism student at Northwestern University currently interning with the Hill Rag. She writes for Northwestern’s student newspaper, The Daily Northwestern. You can reach her at eva@hillrag.com ◆