Before Larry Irving’s research there was no widely accepted “digital divide” and no effort to systematically address it. And beyond seeing the problems he led efforts to remediate it, serving during both the Clinton and Obama administrations, and earning a spot in the Internet Hall of Fame, as it’s first Black member. Join us tomorrow…
digital divide
It’s National Digital Inclusion Week, Do you Know Where your Students Are?
During distance learning, if you can’t get online, you can’t get to school. Last we knew, roughly half of Oakland’s students were unconnected or underconnected, with our most historically underserved students being the most disconnected. And there were 15-17 million students nationwide in the same drifting boat, wafting further and further from proficiency. Even worse,…
The Federal Government Promised Native American Students Computers and Internet. Many Are Still Waiting.
by Alden Woods, Arizona Republic. This story was originally published by ProPublica Native American students in BIE operated schools were forced to start the school year without adequate technology, sometimes sharing a single computer among siblings, because the agency disbursed funding late and failed to purchase equipment in time. SERIES:LESSONS LOST How Federal Schools Are Failing…
Who Gets Paid and Who Gets Played in the Digital Gold Rush
When the West Oakland Post Office was built and displaced 300 mostly Black families “not a single black plumber, operating engineer, sheer metal worker, ironworker, electrician or steamfitter was hired for construction. When the Bay Area Rapid Transit subway system (BART) was built in 1967 not a single African American skilled worker was hired to work…
Getting Distance Learning Policy Right; How OUSD Can Bridge the Digital Divide and More
Tonight OUSD will vote on a plan to end the digital divide in Oakland. It’s a good first step and one we need. Despite a rocky road to the vote, it’s a good policy, that reflects the values of OUSD. Now we have to put it into practice. Oakland’s families need Internet for All—they need…