Digital Equity Now!
To My Colleagues in Educational Technology,
It’s March 2023, three years from the start of the COVID Pandemic and the shutdown of schools in Washington State. I’m hoping that your schools are back to normal with students and their teachers learning in classrooms that are benefiting from the many resources provided by ESSER III. There’s hand sanitizer for the entrances of your building, there’s air purifiers cleaning the air in classrooms, and there are adults providing after school and mental health support to your students. If you’re lucky, you were handed a large chunk of ESSER money to overcome the digital inequities that hurt students and their families as well as teachers as they embraced online/hybrid/in-person learning.
If unfamiliar, ESSER III refers to the third round of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund, which was created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of March, 2020. Washington State schools received nearly $1.34 billion dollars of the $122 billion to respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education. ESSER III was divided into two categories of spending with 20% going to activities that would overcome learning loss and 80% for activities that are related to responding to other concerns created by the pandemic. For ESSER III (80%), the dollars can be used for a wide range of purposes, including:
Implementing safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools, such as purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE), improving ventilation systems, and conducting regular cleaning and disinfecting.
Providing mental health services and support to students and staff who have been affected by the pandemic.
Addressing learning loss and academic needs resulting from extended school closures and remote learning.
Investing in technology and infrastructure to support remote learning and hybrid instruction models.
Supporting the needs of students with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups.
In a recent letter from Assistant Secretary Roberto Rodriguez, the US Department of Education provided further guidance on the use of ESSER III to support digital equity and educational technology initiatives in our communities. Of note, there were four areas where these one-time funds could be used. First, the funds can be used to “improve and personalize professional learning and other supports for educators.” Secondly, the DOE suggested that funding could be used to “Increase access to high-quality digital content and resources for students.” It can also be used to “facilitate educator collaboration and communication.” Finally, it can be used to provide devices for educators and students to access digital learning resources. The flexibility granted by the DOE gives schools the ability to future-proof their classrooms and overcome the digital inequities in their communities now.
So where do we stand? How have schools across Washington used their ESSER III dollars? The OSPI ESSER spending dashboard tallies the expenditures districts have made in several areas.
Our academic leaders are definitely on track to spend what has been allocated across the state. 53.8% of ESSER III remains unclaimed, with a little over $899 million that has to be spent by September 30, 2024. When we disaggregate the data there are a few surprises.
When looking at ESSER III (80%), educational technology spending represents just 4.9% of the $594 million spent to date. Whereas 16.7% has been spent on sanitation and HVAC needs. Most concerning, nearly 60% cannot be attributed to the priorities set by OSPI and the US Congress on the use of these funds. Should we be alarmed to see that very little has been spent to address the digital inequities found in our classrooms and community?
How do you fare in your district? What are you seeing in your schools? Do students have the high-speed connectivity and mobile devices they need to participate fully in classroom activities–both at home and school? Are teachers thrilled with the classroom technologies they use to support students? Do you have a library of assistive/adaptive technologies to support students with unique needs? Finally, have you been able to make significant progress on meeting the goals laid out by Assistant Secretary Rodriguez?
If not, it's time to say something.
With over $745 million remaining to be claimed, it's time to demand that digital equity take a higher priority in your school budget conversations. It's time that your superintendent and school board champions the use of these resources to maintain a state of readiness should schools close or need to hybridize learning in the future. It’s time to upgrade your technology infrastructure to ensure you don’t become the victim of cybercrime while protecting students’ data privacy.
One of the best ways to engage data-driven, academic leaders is to bring the facts to their attention. Show them the percentages, show them the dollar amounts, and show them how you’re ready to take on a bold digital equity initiative. Show them the positive impact it will have on student achievement. Share with them the stories of families whose lives are improved by having better internet connectivity at home.
If you’re not sure where to go for the data, you can start by visiting OSPI’s ESSER III Dashboard or take a look at this spreadsheet where I’ve disaggregated the data by district so that you can see how your district has prioritized its resources. You may be surprised to learn that there are still significant dollars to help you with the challenges you’re facing.
There are many examples of districts utilizing resources in positive ways to overcome learning loss. You could choose to build programs like these successful schools:
Everett School District, Everett, WA
St. Paul Public Schools, St. Paul, MN
Central Falls School District, Central Falls, RI
And, there are some tragic examples as well. Without vision and accountability, districts can get lost in the allure of big money and make big mistakes.
Stockton Unified School District, Stockton, CA
Alabama Schools, AL
Milwaukee Public Schools, Milwaukee, WI
Over the next few months, I’ll publish a series of articles that will help you strategize and make a case for using ESSER III resources now to future-proof your schools for the next 7 years. We’ll talk about how to engage with academic leaders, how to share your ideas of improvement, and have them endorse and fund your digital equity projects. We’ll explore how you can bundle warranties and service plans into your one-time funding requests now to reduce your total cost of ownership later. We’ll look at different display and audio technologies and the research that supports their use to overcome learning loss. Best of all, you’ll be able to guarantee a high-quality, transformational learning environment that both students and their teachers can depend on for years to come. Stay tuned to learn more.
About Robert Pohl
Robert joined Advanced Classroom Technologies in 2022 as the VP of Strategy and School Success. In this role, Robert serves as ACT's thought-leader and school advocate, helping school leaders drive strategic change through technology transformation. Throughout his career, Robert has striven to create a digital learning culture for students and school staff. Most recently he served as the Executive Director of Technology and Operations in the Anacortes School District. He was successful in leading a rapid change effort to modernize classroom technologies across the District, replacing outdated projectors with interactive flat panels, digital document cameras, voice enhancement systems with video conferencing capability.
Robert has served learners of all ages and backgrounds. Prior to ACT, he performed similar work in Monroe, Tukwila, and Northshore School District. He has developed and implemented professional learning programs for corporate enterprises, public agencies, and private schools. He is a certified teacher in Washington with endorsements in English, Elementary Education, and Special Education. Robert is a graduate of Brigham Young University, and received both his MEd and MBA from Western Governors University.
https://tech.ed.gov/files/2023/01/2023.01_Dear_Colleague_Federal_Funding_Technology.pdf
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=910f257cc2b0473fba0c2327c7f1822a
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=73a2ba95e92b45d0b89eb8dc29d25f92
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k0tZ4DYgdX3TnMtBUBijfhc3xSDVrGtDmYtn0jTiSoc/edit?usp=sharing
https://youtu.be/DtCNSKtz0FQ
https://www.the74million.org/article/miles-ahead-of-other-districts-using-new-dashboard-st-paul-tracks-learning-recovery-spending-and-adjusts-programs-on-the-fly
https://www.the74million.org/article/50-extra-school-days-how-federal-covid-aid-is-uplifting-english-learners-in-this-small-rhode-island-city
https://www.the74million.org/article/stockton-calif-what-happens-when-a-dysfunctional-district-gets-241-million
https://www.al.com/news/2022/03/alabama-schools-investing-434m-in-covid-aid-on-athletic-complexes-weight-rooms-zen-rooms.html
https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/washington-high-school-field
