It's been three years since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout this era, we've learned a lot about alternative forms of education and our eyes were all certainly opened. Many of those developments, however, were unfortunately disheartening. Whether recovering from remote learning setbacks, addressing gaps in technology access, or focusing on SEL recovery, things have been tough on many children. Since not all students in all geographical areas and of all socioeconomic backgrounds had access to all the same learning opportunities during the pandemic, it's almost impossible not to speculate about achievement gaps that might persist for years to come because of this lack of across-the-board equity in education.
We first began to understand how extensive this lack of equitable learning opportunities was just a few months into the remote learning era. You probably remember that was also around the same time that the equal rights protests captivated the country. It was tough then (and still now) to not compare the two since education itself should be a right that is equally accessible for all children. And, like many other educators, administrators, parents, and citizens in general, with all that talk about equality and ensuring it’s a reality for everybody, we, of course, got to thinking.
As millions of people around the world joined in various demonstrations and protests to oppose racism and oppression in 2020, we were reminded of our core values and how we could do more. In addition to joining in, making donations, and signing petitions, we also took some time to reflect. We discussed the deaths of George Floyd and others and started thinking a bit harder about our own core mission. And, that mission? Creating equal opportunities and access for children of all backgrounds, from all places, and of all races.
Our mission to serve all students.
When Eduporium was founded in 2012, our leaders researched certain access, equity, and technology in education statistics. After three years, in 2015, things had improved, but not by nearly enough. By then, 94 percent of children aged 3-18 had a computer at home. Only 61 percent of children, however, had Internet access, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Plus, white children (66 percent) also accounted for a higher percentage of Internet access than Black children (53 percent). Statistics like these were sobering to our founders back then—and they still are now. It's even more personal for Rick Fredkin, Eduporium CEO and a Black American.
“Our mission, then and now, is to battle these inequities—inequities that, one way or another, hold some people back. And, as unfortunate as it is, those people tend to be a part of marginalized groups—whether they’re Black, Hispanic, or another race,” said Fredkin.
We have created various programs with help from our STEAM education partners. They're purposeful and intended to help break these barriers down. Our offerings include a discount program for educators who buy EdTech solutions from our store and we also offer EdTech and makerspace grants every month.
A lack of access hurts equity in education.
Access is such an important factor in STEM education and something many of us take for granted. Some kids and adults still do not realize that a computer and an Internet connection are not a guarantee. In fact, 12 percent of teachers said that as many as 60 percent of their students didn't have Internet, according to an Education Week report. This can prevent them from doing assignments, communicating with teachers, and building digital literacies, which tells us there is more work to do to attain true equity in education.
And, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when almost every student transitioned to distance learning, another report indicated that 20 percent of Boston school students did not log in for the rest of that 2020 school year—students who live minutes away from our office. When these kinds of gaps persist, that hurts students on many levels. These include academically, socially, and in their preparations for the future. The equity issues with online learning did not impact every student, however. Some were actually progressing (albeit perhaps more slowly), but others weren't progressing at all.
There were also reports of parents of Asian American students keeping their children home when schools began to physically reopen. Fearing discrimination or also potential harassment related to the origin of the pandemic, these parents felt they had to take a drastic step to ensure their children's safety. It is shameful that they had this fear in the first place and multiple ripple effects may still occur. First of all, these children likely missed out on meaningful experiences in the classroom. And, though it's a stretch, that could lead to them missing out on opportunities when it comes to a potential future in STEAM just because they weren't attending school in person with everyone else.
Aiming to increase STEM diversity.
We acknowledge that there’s not enough diversity in the STEM workforce—one of the most vital parts of our economy. When it comes to both people of color and women, there's still definite underrepresentation. And, in our minds, there’s a better than likely chance that a big factor creating this discrepancy is a lack of access to technology that provides relevant opportunities for learning, connecting, and growing starting at a young age. In improving access, we can shrink equity barriers and, over time, cut into some inequities in the STEM workforce.
As a company, we remain committed to shrinking the equity gap. Like we said, we offer an EdTech grant every month and provide the largest discounts possible across our store. We'll also keep working to find solutions for how to achieve equity in education and do our part to increase the number of opportunities for minority students. This means doing all we can to make their lives and their futures easier rather than remaining on the sidelines.
How technology advances equity in education.
We believe that technology can be an incredible equalizer for any student in the world. It all comes down to access, however, and access remains something that all students need. As we said in a statement back in 2020, members of our team donated to various causes. They include the George Floyd Memorial Fund and Black Lives Matter organization. We recognize, however, that there is still work to do to achieve true equity. If there are any causes you have supported, we encourage you to share them with us on Twitter. Together, we can work to close the equity gap and help every child excel in the future.
If you've seen a lack of equitable technology access hinder academic or personal development in children, we’d love to chat. We also invite you to share your ideas for what more the Eduporium team could do. This could involve educating our community, figuring out a better way to provide more ubiquitous home Internet access, or simply continuing to spread the message of the importance of equity in education. Please get in touch if you are interested in writing a guest blog on this subject or a similar topic. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter for more.
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