In May of 2013 it was decided by the administration of Buford City Schools to begin implementing a “paperless” Open House. I was selected to be on the implementation committee of the Online Open House project. In implementing this, some revelations about equitable access became immediately clear. Rideout states that, “48% of 0- to 8-year olds from low-income families (less than 30,000 a year) have a computer at home” (2011, p.10). This statistic is, in my opinion, quite accurate as I found out on my first “paperless” Open House. Accommodations were made ahead of time to provide the other 52% of our low-income families with computer access throughout the summer before Open House. Dates were set aside providing families with computer access, but unfortunately the majority of the times fell during work hours. You can probably guess what happened as a result of this. We became inundated at our first “paperless” Open House with a large need for computer access. Fortunately, my computer lab was extended to parents to complete their Open House paperwork. I was on hand to assist parents with a range of issues during this first venture into “paperless” registration.
One of the most striking things to me during our first “paperless” Open House was the amount of Hispanic parents without a personal email account. I can vividly remember walking more than a few Hispanic parents through the set up of a Gmail account. Keep in mind this was with a translator. I’m sure you can imagine how difficult that was. You see parents need to have an email account in order to access PowerSchool (our student information system), pay lunch charges through MyPaymentsPlus, and access Renaissance Home Connect. The “Digital Divide” as Rideout calls it, became quite clear to me and I can attest that lower-income families and particularly Hispanic families require equitable access to technology. Students need equitable access not only to learn, but to also be properly processed in our increasingly digital and paperless school systems. And increasingly, parents need equitable access to technology just to be able to monitor their child’s progress in school. Hohlfeld, Ritzhaupt, & Barron state that schools can use, “Information and Communication Technology to communicate and collaborate with families and community members, they have the opportunity to increase their social capital by simultaneously addressing the digital divide” (2010, p.393). I agree and think that as schools continue to go “paperless”, it is the responsibility of the school to provide equitable access to all families regardless of income or ethnicity to foster and increase communication, collaboration, and parent involvement. Schools need to use strategies like computer access for parents and assistance with technology to adequately address equitable access and the “Digital Divide”.
Another strategy that my school utilizes in addressing the “App Gap” and “Digital Divide” as referred to by Rideout, is by having devices available to students for checkout to take home. Hohlfeld, Ritzhaupt, & Barron state that “Schools can provide access to ICT resources either on campus or by permitting students to checkout digital devices for use at home or within the community at large” (2010, p.393). Buford Elementary extends digital resources to low-income students in need of reading support. LeapFrog reading devices are continually offered for checkout to families and students in need of digital resources to aid in reading support. Additionally, Buford Elementary extends computer access to parents continuously throughout the school year by providing access to a Parent Resource Center that is outfitted with three Macbooks with internet access and pre-installed office productivity software.
I am fortunate to be a part of a school where equitable access is a continued area of focus. While we have made great strides, my school like so many others have a way yet to go as far as providing equitable access to all students and their families. The strategies that my school uses by parent assistance during our “paperless” Open House, computer access through our Parent Resource Center, and sending LeapFrog reading devices out into the community are great beginning steps towards providing equitable access. Do you have any suggestions for how my school could improve in regards to equitable access? What are some other ways your school use to provide equitable access to your students and community?
References
Hohlfeld, T. N., Ritzhaupt, A. D., Barron, A. E. (2010). Connecting schools, community, and family with ICT: Four-year trends related to school level and SES of public schools in Florida. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com/computers-and-education
Rideout, V. (2011, October 25). Zero to Eight: Children's Media Use in America. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/zero-to-eight-childrens-media-use-in-america