Forum Guide to Digital Equity

Chapter 3: Closing Digital Equity Gaps

Using Digital Equity Data

The ultimate purpose of education data use is to take action to improve the education system and student learning. Digital equity data have provided agencies with new information on equity, opportunities to learn, and how connectivity varies. Data provide the information needed for agencies to develop policies, programs, and practices to close digital equity gaps. Furthermore, the data can be used to identify access issues, develop coverage maps, and prioritize resource allocation. The need to close digital equity gaps is clear, and taking action to address digital equity is necessary to prepare students to engage in the full range of social, educational, economic, and civic opportunities available in modern society.

Data from one source alone is rarely sufficient to understand the extent of digital inequity and take action to address inequity. For example, coverage maps may have certain limitations; maps that identify census blocks where at least one person has internet access can overcount true availability. Multiple data sources (such as the results of a digital equity survey, coverage maps from all available internet service providers [ISPs], and socioeconomic data) often need to be combined and interpreted to fully illustrate the current state of digital equity. Different strategies will work better based on the needs of the population and local context. Factors such as urbanicity, cultural viewpoints, and languages, among others, will influence how agencies approach digital equity.

Digital resources, devices, and skills have the potential to improve educational outcomes, but all students must be able to fully benefit if digital equity is to be achieved. Free or discounted internet plans and device programs may prove to be helpful but are not stand-alone solutions to digital inequity. Digital equity encompasses consistent access to secure high-speed internet and technology devices, information technology (IT) support, and digital literacy learning opportunities in and out of school for all students, including those with special needs, teachers, staff, and school leaders.

Providing Internet Access

Access at School

Internet availability in schools rapidly expanded in the late 1990s and 2000s³³ and is now an essential feature of education facilities, including classrooms, central offices, and school administrative offices. In addition to availability, the quality and capacity of the internet network must also be sufficient. A robust network within education facilities is needed for teaching, learning, and working. Adequate bandwidth and infrastructure ensure that online resources and systems are readily available for students, staff, and teachers. An assessment of network capabilities can determine whether the network can support current bandwidth needs and meet future needs, or whether the network may need to be upgraded to support the full range of connectivity needs. Mapping network coverage and density and bandwidth utilization will also help agencies ensure that internet coverage within facilities is adequate to meet user needs. Following industry-accepted standards for network quality and monitoring network performance can minimize potential bottlenecks and bandwidth issues. Older school facilities that have not been modernized might not be ready for Wi-Fi and often require more resources to be connected to the network.

Access Outside of School

Ensuring internet access outside of school is a more intractable problem than providing internet access in school, but that should not deter education agencies. Internet access at home is a critical part of digital equity and worthy of concentrated effort on the part of state and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs). Some low- and no-cost internet plans require applicants to provide a monetary deposit or have a minimum credit score, which can pose a barrier to applicants with limited financial resources or credit.

In addition to surveying households to identify which need dedicated internet for their students, geographic information systems (GIS) and student address data can identify neighborhoods where internet access is poor. Reviewing broadband access maps can also identify gaps.

Possible connectivity solutions, ranging from immediate deployment to longer-term implementation timelines, include the following:³⁴

• Mobile Hotspot—A small, portable device that connects to the Internet via cellular service and emits a Wi-Fi signal.
• School or Community Wi-Fi Hotspots (for example, drive-up parking lot hotspots)—Wireless access points set up at schools or other community locations that provide free service.
• School or Community Bus Wi-Fi—A Wi-Fi-equipped school or community bus that is parked in a public location (such as an under-connected neighborhood) and provides free internet access to students within a certain radius of the bus.
• Off-campus Wireless Network—A school-owned Wi-Fi network that provides free, basic wireless internet access to the homes of students or other community sites (often neighborhoods with the greatest need).
• Sponsored Internet Service—States, districts, or schools temporarily cover the monthly cost of a low-price internet service plan for students who lack internet service.
• Broadband Infrastructure Deployment—Federal, state, and local funds are used to develop broadband networks or infrastructure through which broadband services can be delivered.

Satellite internet is also expanding access, particularly for rural and underpopulated areas that have no other way to connect. Many public spaces and community institutions, such as libraries, community centers, and public parks, provide free public access to the Internet.

Providing Devices

Access at School

From school computer labs and lab carts to tablets and smartboards, digital learning devices have been widely adopted in schools and classrooms. However, the infusion of technology in education settings has not been equally distributed, nor are opportunities for students to use digital devices in school equally available. Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies permit students to use their own mobile devices (laptops, tablets, and cellphones) at school, but have left behind students without a personal device. Supplementing a BYOD program with a program that supplies any student lacking a personal device with a district-owned one grants all students equal access to digital devices during the school day. BYOD programs might also result in students bringing a wide range of devices to school. This could unintentionally exacerbate digital inequity, and staff might not be able to support BYOD devices as effectively as devices that are provided by the school. 1:1 programs that provide all students with the same devices do not run the risk of exacerbating digital inequity.

Another important consideration is the extent to which students can use the digital devices that are available in school. A technology implementation plan can help agencies ensure that learning opportunities with technology are integrated throughout the curriculum and that technology use aligns with student learning goals and supports student achievement. The Forum Guide to Technology Management in Education (https://nces.ed.gov/forum/tech_management.asp) contains best practice information for selecting and implementing technology to support teaching and learning.

Access Outside of School

While it is easier for school officials to manage digital equity in school buildings, inequity outside of school also needs to be resolved. District-provided device programs, such as 1:1 programs that provide every student with a standard device (such as a laptop or tablet), ensure that each student has a device available for use at school and home. Some LEAs expect students and teachers to take their school-provided devices home every day. This way, learning can continue if the student cannot attend school in person, whether due to inclement weather, illness, or another barrier.

Device programs can be a large undertaking. Agencies can benefit from a detailed implementation plan that addresses different aspects of the program. Potential considerations include the following:

• goals for the program;
• implementation timelines with milestones;
• benchmarks for measuring progress towards goals;
• policies and procedures for device selection, procurement, distribution, repair, and replacement;
• plans to refresh devices periodically (for example, issuing new devices to students in 1st, 5th, and 9th grade);
• assignment of responsibility for program implementation;
• identification of needed training and IT resources for users;
• tools and software needed to track and manage device inventory;
• determination of whether IT support will be provided by staff or outsourced to a vendor;
• allocation of human resources, including staff time;
• allocation of financial resources for devices, the staff that will support the program, training, and the sustainability costs of device insurance and replacement; and
• whether the funding source limits who may use the device and for what purposes.

Ensuring Privacy and Security

Privacy and security are of critical importance in education agency operations, including the collection, management, and use of education data. Education agencies have a responsibility to protect their systems and data from potential threats.

Education agencies can implement policies and processes to protect their systems and data:

• Train all users on how to ensure cybersecurity and data privacy. Tailoring training to specific user groups is integral to meeting their individual needs and obligations. Students would benefit from training on how to responsibly use school-provided devices and protect their information online, whereas staff who routinely work with student data will need to keep current on federal, state, and local data privacy requirements.
• When crafting data privacy and cybersecurity policies and procedures, ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local laws and standards.
• A comprehensive inventory of all network-connected agency assets can not only help agencies understand their cybersecurity risk, but can also inform device program management decisions.
• Require secure log-ins to access all agency systems and devices, including remote access, and grant access only to authorized individuals.
• All agency-provided devices and internet connections should align with federal, state, and local privacy and security requirements and guidelines. Agencies may have different levels of protection for student data, and there may be data privacy issues with providing temporary or contract staff with access to devices or the Internet.
• Install automated cybersecurity and privacy tools and software on agency devices, including those that are deployed to students, teachers, and staff for off-campus use.
• Consider installing internet safety filters on all agency-issued hotspots and devices that are used on- and off-campus.³⁵

Tabletop exercises can assist agencies in determining how to approach potential security issues for devices that are used off-campus. These exercises consist of small-group discussions that walk through a scenario and the courses of action an agency or organization will need to take before, during, and after an emergency or incident to lessen the impact. These exercises help assess plans and resources, and facilitate understanding among key decision-makers and stakeholders. The Forum Guide to Cybersecurity: Safeguarding Your Data (https://nces.ed.gov/forum/pub_2020137.asp) contains a case study on Bozeman School District #7’s (MT) experience using tabletop exercises to develop a data breach response protocol.

• Use a virtual private network (VPN) when staff work remotely.
• Consider limiting hotspot connections to school-provided devices.
• Exercise prudence, respect student privacy, and follow data minimization best practices by limiting the collection of student data and avoiding the monitoring of students in the home and after school hours.
• Push out software updates to all agency-issued devices. A policy that staff must shut down their work-provided devices at the end of the day can also help ensure software updates are made.
• Ensure that agencies and vendors establish written data-sharing agreements for all digital tools and devices.

Supporting IT Needs

IT staff can break down some of the barriers to achieving digital equity. Support can range from helping a student who needs to set up their school-provided mobile hotspot, to assisting a teacher who needs to connect a school-provided device to their district’s VPN, to working with a staff member who needs to download address data from a broadband deployment map.

Inoperable or unusable technology does not support student learning and agency operations. Just-in-time technical support minimizes the time and energy users spend on troubleshooting and problem solving, allowing that effort to be redirected towards using the technology. Whether in-person or remote, IT assistance ensures that the technology provided is operational and usable by teachers, staff, and students.

IT support can take many forms, and has expanded to accommodate user needs within and beyond the classroom and workplace:

• IT support after school and in the evenings can be very helpful for students who need assistance when completing homework assignments.
• Being mindful of student data privacy, secondary students with technical skills could assist with device initiatives and helpdesk support by cleaning devices, performing minor device repairs, and completing other tasks that do not risk data security and privacy.
• Some LEAs have IT support hotlines and resources for parents who need support when helping their children with homework or remote learning.

IT support decisions may be affected by several factors, including the following:

• Proactive IT assistance, such as help guides and technology training, can reduce the need for just-in-time support that is used once a problem has occurred.
• Teachers are often the first line of technical support for students. Instructional staff need professional development (PD) on IT support to help meet student needs.
• IT staffing models must be appropriate for the level of support provided. A 24/7 helpdesk will require different support than a traditional helpdesk that is only open during normal school hours. IT staff members’ workdays or schedules may need to be adjusted; for instance, staff who provide IT support to parents and students after school hours might be permitted to start their workday later to account for evening work.

Helping Parents’ and Students’ Information Technology (IT) Needs

During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, families increasingly needed technical support to help their children with remote learning; working adults often had to help their children very early before the start of the workday, or later at night after their workday was over. South Portland School Department (ME) (SPSD) decided to help these parents, while at the same time adapting staff assignments from an in-person environment to a remote setting. The district’s IT technicians whose work could only be performed in person were given the opportunity to support SPSD’s new phone-based parent helpdesk. SPSD increased its hours and expanded its helpdesk services to support families. The district chose to provide phone-based support (rather than web-based support) to ensure that technology would not hinder families from accessing the support they needed. This also allowed SPSD to use translation services more easily, allowing the district to support families regardless of language barriers.

• Establishing clear expectations can help focus IT support on meeting needs that are within the agency’s purview. For example, school IT staff would be responsible for any IT needs related to a school-provided device, but any needs related to a user’s home Wi-Fi router or internet speed would be directed to the user’s ISP. LEAs can work with local providers to help with support issues; this way, when families contact the district for assistance with connectivity issues at their home, the district can connect the families to their ISP for assistance.
• An agency with a large userbase might find it necessary to have multiple helpdesks to address different needs, such as
• a helpdesk located off-campus in a community hub;
• a helpdesk for students and parents;
• a helpdesk for teachers and instructional staff; and
• a 24/7 helpdesk to provide round-the-clock support and manage overflow during high-volume times. Providing off-hours IT support may necessitate creative scheduling or shift work not previously considered for staff.

Promoting Digital Literacy

Providing devices, internet access, and IT support alone does not solve digital inequity. Students, their parents and caregivers, and staff also need to be digitally literate. A lack of digital literacy can be a major barrier to digital equity. Digital literacy refers to the necessary skills associated with using technology to enable users to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communicate information.

Technology that is simply used as an add-on to the existing curriculum is not an effective approach to teaching digital literacy. Digital literacy instruction can be embedded across the curriculum to equip students with the skills to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communicate information. Education agencies and national organizations have developed digital literacy standards that define what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. For example:

• The Virginia Standards of Learning for Digital Learning Integration describe a progressive development of knowledge and skills necessary to access, evaluate, use and create information using technology. The focus is on learning to use technology effectively and wisely rather than learning about technology: https://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/technology/standards/index.shtml.
• The West Virginia College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Technology and Computer Science include content standards for technology and computer science that are both rigorous and challenging. The standards provide a focus for teachers to teach and students to learn those skills and competencies essential for future success in the workplace and to further education: https://apps.sos.wv.gov/adlaw/csr/readfile.aspx?DocId=50990&Format=PDF.
• The Wisconsin Standards for Information and Technology Literacy are an important foundation to prepare students to be college- and career-ready: https://dpi.wi.gov/imt/it-literacy-standards.

A common set of software and tools for all students to use can increase digital equity and literacy. Additionally, software and online tools that can be accessed and used from any device (school-provided, personal, or public) can be helpful, as they remove device-related barriers that sometimes hinder access.

Providing students with digital literacy training is not sufficient if educators do not know how to use technology effectively in the classroom. Students also need access to educators who know how to use digital tools and create online instructional content. Caregivers also need digital literacy resources to support student learning and ensure families can access student services.

As educational technology rapidly changes and advances, educational staff need ongoing training to keep up to date. Districts can provide teachers and instructional staff with PD training around the use of technology for learning. Training should be

• implemented regularly;
• provided during educator work hours;
• incentivized to encourage participation;
• tailored to meet each individual’s needs;
• continually updated to reflect current trends and technologies; and
• include time for applied learning.

Software and platforms that support training and PD are available for use by SEAs and LEAs. In addition to ensuring staff have time in their schedules to participate in PD, staff need time to practice their new skills and integrate what they learned into their day-to-day work. Ongoing PD equips staff with the skills and knowledge they need to use technology successfully, and thus serve as models of responsible and effective technology use for their students.

Funding Digital Equity Programs

Digital equity funding is not limited to purchasing devices and internet service. Budgets for digital equity might also include ongoing maintenance, updates, IT support, and digital literacy education and PD to support the implementation and use of the technology. During the initial months of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, collecting digital equity data was often a large undertaking for agencies that called for additional staff and finances. As the collection and use of digital equity data have become a routine part of many agencies’ normal data procedures, the financial burden of these collections has been minimized.

Sustainability planning is essential for the long-term success of digital equity efforts. Ongoing funding is needed to support internet access, network maintenance, digital devices, and technology support and training. 1:1 programs, for example, are high-cost and need dedicated funding to be sustainable. Insufficiently funded digital equity efforts are more likely to fail. Budgetary decision-making processes that carefully weigh available options and select cost-effective approaches result in more sustainable and effective outcomes.

Emergency funding greatly helped in closing digital equity gaps during the COVID-19 pandemic. As these temporary funding streams close, agencies must determine how to maintain the new digital equity programs that were started with pandemic-related funds and how to measure outcomes from the funding. For example, agencies that used one-time pandemic-related funding to purchase devices must now budget for inventory, IT support, and internet safety filters. Device replacement and growth in network demand based on user needs are also expected. Staff, PD, device refresh cycles, curricular materials, and teaching around digital literacy are other considerations for funding decisions that budgeters can expect to plan for.

Collaboration and Partnerships

SEAs, LEAs, and schools are not alone in working to achieve digital equity. Agencies need support from families and the community at large to help bridge the gaps, making community outreach key to improving digital equity. Community buy-in, and the partnerships that arise from it, are crucial to the sustainability of digital equity efforts. Community engagement can help foster an understanding of the importance of digital equity and encourage community members to support digital equity efforts.

Existing community resources, such as a local library system, can serve the immediate needs of the community by helping students gain access to high-quality digital content, internet resources, and reliable devices. Organizations and education agencies can also work together to identify the specific digital equity needs of individual communities. Government agencies, consortia, and cooperatives could collaborate with local telecommunications services to push connections forward and expand coverage maps.

Education agencies can partner with other regional, state, and local agencies on digital equity efforts. Coordinated action at the state or county level that involves multiple stakeholder groups may be more impactful than what might be possible for any single agency. These types of coalitions have the potential to help leverage resources, build capacity, and capitalize on expertise. Potential sectors that could be involved in this work include infrastructure, technology, education, economic development, workforce development, and healthcare.

While serving the needs of students and their families is one of an education agency’s many responsibilities, IT support and digital literacy training for the broader community and households without students is beyond the purview of SEAs, districts, and schools. This type of need is best met by other agencies and organizations, such as public libraries, social service agencies, boards of trustees, workforce development agencies, and local technology non-profits. Although an education agency’s responsibilities to provide these services do not extend to the broader public, SEAs and LEAs can collaborate with appropriate agencies and organizations whose role is to meet the IT and digital literacy needs of the broader public. For example, in the City of Cambridge, MA, the city government takes the lead in meeting residents’ digital equity needs, while the district’s primary focus is homes with school-aged children. In Bozeman School District #7 (MT), a memorandum of understanding with a local non-profit allows schools to work with the non-profit’s family liaisons and problem-solve for individual families.

Persistent Challenges

Measuring digital access, providing discounted or free high-speed internet, and deploying laptops, hotspots, and Wi-Fi hubs have all helped to close the digital divide, but challenges persist:

• Funding to sustain digital equity efforts is a perpetual challenge. While available funding increased during the pandemic, some funding sources were intended to be temporary and need to be replaced with permanent funding streams to sustain digital equity efforts.
• The degree of cooperation and collaboration may decrease after COVID-19-related funding for digital equity is exhausted.
• Expanding broadband access to rural areas is a costly and time-consuming endeavor.
• Cell towers and hotspots sometimes do not work in rural or mountainous areas.
• Issues such as Wi-Fi router location, building construction, signal interference from other devices, high usage or demand, and unsecure connections can all inhibit at-home internet access.
• Emerging technologies could impact connectivity and have implications for providing support to students and families.
• Supply chain disruptions can occasionally limit the availability of needed devices.
• Devices are subject to damage, loss, and theft, and ultimately need to be replaced once they reach the end of their lifecycle.
• Sometimes, more devices than anticipated are needed. During the pandemic, agencies that did not have devices on hand had to wait months for orders to be fulfilled.
• Device inventories need to be maintained and periodically refreshed.
• Compiling and managing an inventory of software and tools being used in schools and classrooms can be time-consuming, especially when teachers can select their own software tools.
• Cybersecurity and privacy threats continue to emerge and can threaten people who use digital technologies.
• Allocating time and funding for digital literacy training and PD for current and incoming teachers can sometimes be difficult.

Conclusion

SEAs, LEAs, and schools need to be nimble in responding to digital inequities, be it during a crisis or routine changes in educational practices and opportunities for students, education technology, and infrastructure. Digital equity is multifaceted and encompasses consistent access to secure high-speed internet and technology devices, IT support, and digital literacy learning opportunities, all of which need to be addressed. Digital equity data can identify digital equity gaps and drive targeted action to close them. Digital equity work is difficult; while some complications may never be solved, agencies do not stand alone in addressing the immense challenges to achieving digital equity. Stakeholder engagement and collaboration are critical keys to achieving digital equity. Education agencies can utilize available funding, draw strength from resources and support from other agencies and organizations, apply lessons learned, and work collaboratively and creatively to tackle obstacles, all in pursuit of digital equity.

³³ U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (August 2010). Number and Internet Access of Instructional Computers and Rooms in Public Schools, by Selected School Characteristics: Selected Years, 1995 through 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_120.asp.
³⁴ U.S. Department of Education, Office for Education Technology. (July 2021). Home Access Playbook: Strategies for State Leaders Working to Bridge the Digital Divide for Students. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://tech.ed.gov/home-access-playbook/.
³⁵ Students that use school-provided devices may not have the same access to online content because required internet safety filtering technology typically restricts or completely blocks noneducational content. Instructional staff should ensure that online learning activities can be accessed by all students and are not blocked by filtering software.