2021 UPDATE: We have a new website! Check out https://www.digitalequitydced.com/
Who we are. We are a citywide coalition of parents and education advocates who are working to close the digital divide for DC students. Many of us are active in ward education councils, school Parent Teacher Organizations, and/or DC Public Schools Local School Advisory Teams. We do not endorse specific educational technology software and have no ties to companies that market or sell technology to DC schools.
To contact us. E-mail DigitalEquityDC at gmail dot com or message our Twitter account @DigitalEquityDC.
What we believe. For a 21st century education, our students need the following:
- Sufficient dedicated funding in the DCPS budget to meet school technology needs equitably across all our city’s schools. This includes funding for computers, SMART boards, IT support and equipment management, and training for teachers to effectively use technology.
- A comprehensive, multi-year technology plan to define and provide adequate technology to every school, as recommended by the DC Auditor in 2017. The plan should include expected costs and planned funding sources.
- A sustainable model (that includes adequate tech support and asset management) for maintaining up-to-date technology equitably across all our city’s schools.
- Digital literacy and computer science education. While many students know how to use smartphones, they are not proficient in common technology applications and software. No standard curriculum exists in DCPS to teaching typing skills or computer science.
Presentations/Testimony to City Officials
Articles
EducationDC: Moving the Needle on DCPS’s Computer Challenges
DC Line: For a tech-ready workforce, start by fixing technology in our schools
Hill Rag: DCPS laptops as old as the children who use them
City Paper: Access to tech in DC Public Schools is Deeply Unequal
EducationDC: Solving DCPS’s technology challenges is not rocket science
DCPS Press Release on 2020 Budget Proposal
Grosso Introduces Bill to Develop Tech Roadmap
Documents Acquired Through FOIA
Internal government documents secured through the Freedom of Information Act show that DCPS has been internally discussing a district-wide technology initiative since 2017 (the tenure of Chancellor Antwan Wilson). The Mayor’s 2020 budget initiated funding for DCPS’s technology initiative, the Empowered Learners Initiative.
Ward 6 Public School Parents Organization 