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High-needs students
Topic

Digital Divide

California has long wrestled with a stark split between students and teachers who have access to internet and computers and home and those who don’t. This digital divide has created uneven access to completing homework, researching and applying for colleges or financial aid, and other important opportunities for students. As schools rely more on distance learning, this unequal access to technology threatens to widen gaps in academic achievement, especially among Black, Latino and low-income students in rural areas who are among the least likely in California to have internet subscriptions at home. State and district officials are pushing for a variety of solutions to help close the gap and provide access to the internet for all California students, however there is still a long road ahead.
Commentary
January 6, 2022

Dual enrollment is a foot in the door to college

Making dual enrollment opportunities available equitably to all California high school students must not be left to chance.

Michal Kurlaender and Olga Rodriguez
Legislation
October 8, 2021

Gov. Gavin Newsom signs $123.9 billion package to support K-12 education

The 22-bill package will increase broadband infrastructure, develop mental and behavioral health support and add a new ethnic studies high school graduation requirement.

Betty Márquez Rosales
Commentary
August 2, 2021

Every student in California should have high-speed internet access. Here’s how we can get there by fall 2021

School districts are uniquely positioned to help students of color and students experiencing poverty get reliable broadband at home.

Ryan J. Smith
Digital Divide
July 15, 2021

California moves to adopt historic $6 billion broadband plan

The bill will enable local governments and nonprofits to bypass private companies and build their own broadband infrastructure.

Sydney Johnson
Policy & Finance
May 14, 2021

Broadband gets a major boost in California budget revision  

The funding was announced Friday alongside a sweeping set of proposals for K-12 education in California as part of the annual May budget proposal.

Sydney Johnson And John Fensterwald
Digital Divide
May 14, 2021

A California program spent millions on devices for distance learning. Here’s where it went

The vast majority of rural California students now have access to computers at home, but thousands still can't connect to the internet.

Sydney Johnson And Daniel J. Willis
Data
May 14, 2021

Map: California Chromebook distribution during Covid-19

Explore Chromebook distribution during Covid-19 at California school districts with this interactive map.

Yuxuan Xie
Coronavirus
May 10, 2021

Students, community organizations ask judge to order mental health services, internet access

The lawsuit argues top education officials must monitor districts to see that billions in Covid relief address students' pressing needs.

John Fensterwald
Testing and Accountability
May 4, 2021

Hundreds of thousands of California students won’t take statewide standardized tests this spring

California released updated guidance for school districts deciding whether Smarter Balanced or a local assessment is their more viable option.

Sydney Johnson
Covid: One Year Later
March 15, 2021

Distance learning changed California education. What’s here to stay?

Teachers pushed through difficult days to find solutions that kept kids learning during an upended school year. Some changes may stick.

Sydney Johnson
Distance Learning
February 12, 2021

White students in California more likely to be getting in-person instruction than Black, Latino and Asian students

Across California, nearly half of all districts with elementary schools have reopened them to in-person or hybrid learning. White students more likely to be attending school in-person.

Sydney Johnson And Daniel J. Willis
Distance Learning
February 9, 2021

California teachers grapple with grading nearly a year after initial school closures

Many districts are seeing surges in Fs and Ds during distance learning, prompting a revision of expectations and policies around grades.

Sydney Johnson
Distance Learning
November 30, 2020

Early data on learning loss show big drop in math, but not reading skills

The impact from school closures last spring proved worrisome but not as dire as projected by the assessment organization NWEA.

John Fensterwald
Commentary
November 5, 2020

Ensure equitable broadband access to secure California’s future

When the delivery of high-quality instruction depends on reliable, high-speed broadband connections for every student anyone lacking these resources gets left behind.

Su Jin Gatlin Jez and Peter J. Taylor
Testing and Accountability
November 5, 2020

Shorter exams will replace California’s annual Smarter Balanced tests

Federal education officials said they will not waive testing requirements for the 2020-21 school year. 

Sydney Johnson