Education advocates to mayor: Prioritize DCPS tech infrastructure to close the digital divide
While the District has made some progress in addressing technology challenges for students at DC Public Schools (DCPS), more planning and investment is needed to ensure a functional, modern school system that is able to prepare our children for the jobs of the future. Additionally, with the recent passage of the DCPS Digital Equity Act of 2022 and anticipated federal funding for increasing broadband access, the city has the opportunity to make significant progress in achieving digital equity if public officials make it a priority.
Earlier this month, a coalition of parents, educators and other education advocates — organized by Digital Equity in DC Education — sent a version of the letter below urging Mayor Muriel Bowser to commit funding for technology supports and infrastructure to support student learning and close the digital divide.
Jan. 11, 2023
Dear Mayor Bowser:
As you finalize your Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal, we urge you to prioritize investments in robust technology supports and infrastructure for DC Public Schools, which are critical for minimizing disruptions to learning and teaching, maximizing the benefits of your prior investments in technology, and closing the digital divide. A robust, reliable technology infrastructure will benefit every single student in the school system, by supporting student learning and providing the skills and knowledge needed for college and career. Specifically, we ask you to commit to healthy funding and planning in the four areas outlined below:
- 1:1 Student-Device Ratio and a Computer for Every Teacher. We appreciate DCPS’s commitment to maintain a 1:1 student-device ratio for grades 3-12 and a minimum 3:1 student-device ratio for pre-K through second grade, and we are encouraged to see DCPS invest in more powerful devices for high school students in career and technical education programs. We urge DCPS to provide tech tools that meet student needs at every level, instead of adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. As the initial tranche of devices provided under the Empowered Learners initiative (ELi) approach the end of their life cycle, we urge you to fund the timely replacement of devices to maintain student- and teacher-device ratios and support learning across DCPS.
- School-Level Asset Management and Tech Support. IT asset management at the school level remains a challenge for many schools. There continue to be delays at the start of every school year in providing adequate devices and classroom technology to schools due to lack of school capacity for effectively managing IT. This includes difficulty in updating school technology inventories, which are used by DCPS’s central office to determine the number of new computers allocated to each school. The lack of effective school-level asset management also contributes to device loss and underutilization of warranties when devices are damaged. These issues have remained unresolved for years, even though the number of technicians from the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) and the amount of funding associated with DCPS’s agreement with OCTO have increased. The school system will not fully benefit from the multimillion-dollar investment that the city has made in devices until DCPS and OCTO are able to effectively provide support for school-level asset management and daily tech support. In the coming years, the technology infrastructure will continue to grow in complexity as our education system becomes more dependent on technology for instruction and learning. Now is the time to invest in an asset management support structure to minimize loss and maximize the city’s investment in school technology.
- Digital Literacy Skills. Knowledge and mastery of online learning platforms and digital tools vary widely among DCPS students, their families, and school staff. This lack of consistency contributes to increased inequities and barriers to learning. Digital fluency is critical to allowing students to ably demonstrate what they know. Beginning in the third grade, students must be able to navigate online prompts and type multiple-sentence responses in a timed environment when taking high-stakes online assessments like PARCC. Beyond the K-12 environment, technology has become increasingly essential in higher education and in the workplace. If we are to prepare students for college and career, we must equip them with the skills to succeed. Integrating the development of digital literacy skills into daily learning and curriculum should be adequately funded, prioritized and supported across schools.
- Technology Infrastructure. We are encouraged by the recent investments to upgrade Wi-Fi infrastructure and Smart Boards across DCPS. However, schools are still experiencing internet connectivity challenges for a variety of reasons, including content filter issues, network infrastructure issues, IT policies that are not aligned with school programmatic needs, and the increased volume of users. In addition, this fall the installation of several hundred Smart Boards was delayed for several months due to contracting challenges. To minimize disruptions to learning, we recommend DCPS proactively develop contingency plans to deal with potential supply chain delays. In addition, there is an opportunity for DCPS and OCTO to work more closely with schools to understand and solve infrastructure challenges and ensure reliable connectivity to enable teaching and learning. We also see opportunities for DCPS and OCTO to coordinate efforts to ensure home connectivity for all learners.
We look forward to working with the Bowser administration to support implementation of the DCPS Digital Equity Act of 2022, which requires a comprehensive, multiyear technology plan that addresses the areas outlined above. Additionally, we were excited to learn that DC will be receiving a multimillion-dollar federal grant funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to focus on digital equity. This represents an important opportunity to close gaps in our community and public school system. We look forward to working with OCTO as planning begins to explore how best to use the funding to improve digital equity in DC.
Sincerely,
Digital Equity in DC Education
Co-signed by:
Ward 2 Education Council
Ward 3 Education Network
Ward 4 Education Alliance
Ward 5 Education Equity Committee
Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization
Ward 7 Education Council
Ward 8 Education Council
DC Education Coalition for Change (DECC)
DC Fiscal Policy Institute
Senior High Alliance of Parents, Principals and Educators (SHAPPE)
Teaching for Change
Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
Washington Teachers’ Union
educationdc.net
Education Town Hall — We Act Radio
The coalition of education advocacy groups listed above sent a version of this letter on Jan. 11 to Mayor Muriel Bowser with copies to Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn and DC Public Schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee in support of increased planning and investment in DCPS technology. Similar letters were sent in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
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