A few months into the semester, Alex and his classmates embarked on a collaborative project that required students to research and create online using a variety of interactive tools. I had worked hard to give students choices and resources for them to collaborate, explore and create.

The project got off to a good start, and the students seemed to embrace their learning and the collaborative process.My enthusiasm was dampered, though, when one of the student groups came to me after class and complained about Alex. After three months, Alex finally told me that he did not have internet access at home. As a white middle-class educator, I really hadn’t considered the ramifications of connectivity—I assumed that since everyone had a computer that they would figure it out.

While some would see Alex’s academic record and cite an “achievement gap,” it seemed to me that it was more of an “opportunity gap.” As educators, we needed to do better, and dozens of stories like Alex's led our district on an ongoing quest for digital equity.

Closing this opportunity gap requires a variety of strategies involving schools and communities working together. In Beaverton, the Oregon school district where I work, we began addressing this challenge by starting a monthly lunchtime discussion group devoted to finding creative ways to identify and solve the problem. Here are a few ideas that came from these meetings:

  1. Extended Library Hours: In addition, the district provided transportation for students who depend on bussing.
  2. Hotspot Pilot Project: giving students access to WiFi hotspot devices they could take home.
  3. WiFi Access Maps: Some of our schools in highly impacted areas contacted local businesses to see if they would be willing to allow students to use their WiFi after school hours.

Read the full article about closing the digital opportunity gap by Matt Hiefield at EdSurge.