NESHA GRANT
This New York parent and community organizer connects students and their families with the technology and tools they need to learn and the resources they need to thrive .
photographs by nicky woo
left many students without the tools and technology to continue their education , and revealed the depth of the need to equip them , as well as their teachers and parents , for 21st-century learning . Currently nearly one-third of all US public school students — around 17 million children — go without sufficient technology to learn remotely . Black , Native American , and Hispanic students make up disproportionate numbers of this cohort who are struggling to bridge the digital divide . ¶ While the number of oneto-one schools where every student has access to a device is steadily growing , a quarter of all K – 12 schools in the United States still don ’ t have enough laptops or tablets for every pupil . Many students also lack access to a dedicated computer at home to do their schoolwork on , have to share a single device with their family , or must use a smartphone to access the internet . Some fell behind their peers or even slid backward in the past 18 months . ¶ That ’ s if they have access to the internet at all : Fewer than half of US school districts meet bandwidth goals established by the FCC , and an estimated two million K – 12 students still aren ’ t adequately connected to learn from home . ¶ “ Not having access to technology impedes your ability to fully participate in citizenry within your community ,” says Melody Molinoff , co-lead of Digital Equity in DC Education . “ If we want our children to be prepared to go to college and go into the workforce , we have to have robust technology in our schools .”
— AAH
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