You can find a PDF of this press release here
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Brittany-Rae Gregory
brittany-rae@nextcenturycities.org
November 21, 2022
Washington, D.C. (November 21, 2022) – Today, Next Century Cities released Beyond Broadband, Access, and Adoption: The Need for Advocacy and Cultural Competency in the K-12 Digital World.
Authored by Symone Campbell, NCC’s Research and Communications Fellow, the report chronicles the educational access challenges faced by low-income students of color. These challenges illustrate how lack of broadband access and adoption in low-income communities of color have contributed to poor education outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Digital equity and culturally competent community organizations play a significant role in increasing digital literacy skills and academic success among disenfranchised K-12 students. The report highlights several community organizations from Next Century Cities municipalities in the following states: Florida, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, and New York.
Symone Campbell, Next Century Cities Research & Communications Fellow, offered the following remarks:
“Broadband access barriers are reinforced by systemic issues related to race and class, such as digital redlining. These practices indirectly and directly impact low-income primary and secondary students of color’s access to technology that has been deemed necessary to thrive in today’s digital society.
“In-depth research on student access to broadband and educational technology is critical. As this report illustrates, the COVID-19 pandemic reversed two decades of progress in educational testing for K-12 students nationally. Students that are among the most impacted are low-income Black, Latinx, and Native students. Designated federal funding combined with the efforts of community organizations and activists on the ground in neighborhoods across the country can help increase the number of K-12 students of color with the broadband, devices, and digital literacy skills they need.”
Read the full report here. Access a detailed blog post outlining education diversity here. To request a print version of the report, please email info@nextcenturycities.org.
