D I G I T A L E Q U I T Y L I S T E N I N G P R O J E C T A P A R T N E R S H I P O F P A G E 0 1 Before COVID - 19 , lower - income families and Black and Latinx families were less likely to have reliable computer and internet access While this divide was urgent before the pandemic , COVID - 19 has increased that urgency : we will see dire outcomes for children and our community without swift action This past spring , DPS educators , students , and families showed remarkable resolve pivoting to remote learning on a moment ’ s notice However , when our schools abruptly closed because of COVID - 19 our school system did not have adequate resources and preparation to ensure all students had access to remote learning As we prepare for 100 % remote digital learning this fall and look toward an unpredictable school year , we must ensure all students have access to high - quality digital remote learning Otherwise this crisis will continue to exacerbate long existing inequities for our students , with low - income , Black , and Latinx students bearing the brunt of the impacts A recent McKinsey report predicts that students with low - quality or no access to remote instruction may lose almost a year ’ s worth of learning gains if remote instruction continues through January 2021 Researchers expect that Black and Latinx students will experience almost four more months of learning loss than white students , on average Durham Public Schools already recognized the longstanding digital inequities in the community , and included digital equity goals in its 2018 - 2023 Strategic Plan However , since remote instruction will continue , the district must meet its digital equity goals now in order to ensure an equitable education for all students DPS Foundation and Student U believe in the power of our students’, families’ and educators' voices. Their perspectives must inform our community's collective strategies for realizing digital equity. D I G I T A L E Q U I T Y L I S T E N I N G P R O J E C T WHY WE'RE LISTENING DPS Foundation and Student U partnered to conduct a listening project to help inform continued remote instruction and what will be necessary for truly realizing digital equity for Durham students Our interview team , which included 15 DPS students who interviewed other students , interviewed 24 parents , 28 students and 21 teachers about their experiences with digital learning this past spring We hope our students ', families ' and educators ' experiences inform the efforts of DPS , Durham City and County and community organizations who are all working to ensure our students have equitable access to high - quality remote digital instruction We believe that when we bring Durham ’ s full resources behind our students , we can ensure that they not only thrive but survive through this crisis and long after Access to 21st Century Technology and skills became crucial P A G E 0 2 D I G I T A L E Q U I T Y L I S T E N I N G P R O J E C T Family-School communication became even more important than before Parents, students, and teachers struggled to juggle daily demands: school, work, and childcare Parents, students, and teachers need social-emotional support Teachers need more professional development to create engaging digital lessons Five themes emerged from our listening project: WHAT WE'RE HEARING P A G E 0 3 D I G I T A L E Q U I T Y L I S T E N I N G P R O J E C T IN THEIR OWN WORDS Access to 21st Century Technology and skills became crucial PARENT “ It was pretty hard for us We didn ’ t have internet or anything like that ... We haven ’ t accessed any lessons at all ... I ’ m very afraid that my kids are going to fall behind .” PARENT “ The teacher sent stuff via phone because I didn ’ t know much about internet and the kids tried to help me but they didn ’ t know how to log in either , so we worked in the books but on the internet nothing ... it ’ s been hard as a mom to give that attention when I don ’ t know how to use the internet .” STUDENT “ My biggest challenge was having internet connection or Wi - Fi because I have many siblings that had to access the internet as well .” TEACHER “ I ’ m concerned about ESL students in the fall A lot of them don ’ t have access to technology and were not taught how to use it Just being given it won ’ t really fix the problem .” TEACHER “ Students that did not have Wi - Fi or laptops were at a disadvantage Students who had those things flourished .” TEACHER “ Live teaching was discouraged for equity issues .” Almost every parent reported technology access as a barrier Participants reported that siblings shared devices , students used phones in lieu of computers , and that internet connectivity inconsistent Some parents and students also struggled with digital literacy : they had trouble logging in and using the academic platforms Teachers noticed gaps in academic engagement and performance depending on students ’ level of digital access This inequity was especially pronounced among Latinx students Some teachers even stopped live instruction altogether because of equIty concerns P A G E 0 4 D I G I T A L E Q U I T Y L I S T E N I N G P R O J E C T IN THEIR OWN WORDS Family - School communication became even more important than before PARENT “ Teachers called more and we were in communication more about turning in homework I ’ m thankful for them caring for my student personally .” STUDENT “ They had a daily check - up and reminded us about the due dates for all the assignments It was very helpful because it helped me get settled into this new way of learning .” TEACHER “ The relationships have become so much stronger ... There was so much empathy on both sides , ... I ’ m so glad I made the time and effort to contact every single parent We all wanted to be seen as human and struggling , to really see each other Nothing will stop me from contacting parents again .” TEACHER “ I need the district to invest more money in communicating with Spanish - speaking families In our school , our Spanish - speaking staff were so overburdened Their entire job just turned into interpreting and translating constantly .” Teachers reported spending more time communicating with families than ever before Reaching all families was challenging , particularly due to language barriers Parent and students provided mixed feedback on school and teacher communication ; some teachers communicated more than others Parents , students , and teachers agreed that constant communication from teachers and the district will be crucial this fall Participants want consistent , timely updates from teachers and the district , as well as avenues for questions and concerns to be addressed quickly Respondents appreciated deepened family - teacher relationships Many teachers expressed a newfound commitment to prioritize communication in the future P A G E 0 5 PARENT “ I need another grown - up ” STUDENT “ Sometimes when I did have work and a deadline it was hard balancing my schoolwork and my actual work ” TEACHER “ I have so many things going on at home I take care of a young child , dogs I am a caretaker at home for my father There are lots of external factors present here that aren ’ t at school .” TEACHER “ Within this population [ English language learners ], a lot started to work full time This produced a lot of challenges because they couldn ’ t get the work done .” TEACHER “ Family / parent capacity for supporting kids in learning was challenging They were working most of the time Students would also often have to watch their siblings .” Participants reported finding it challenging to focus on academics because of other responsibilities Many parents worked full - time Some teachers struggled to teach while caring for their own young children Older students watched siblings and increased their work hours while juggling academic responsibilities Teachers saw more Latinx students and English Language Learners working at jobs , making it difficult for them to keep up academically D I G I T A L E Q U I T Y L I S T E N I N G P R O J E C T IN THEIR OWN WORDS Parents , students , and teachers struggled to juggle daily demands : school , work , and childcare P A G E 0 6 STUDENT “ At the beginning of this whole pandemic I was feeling really worried and anxious ... I try to focus on other things and not let the anxiety get to me .” PARENT “ I ’ m afraid he ’ s going to miss out being around people at school We don ’ t have a lot of kids around us so he ’ s really missing out .” TEACHER “ I would say this was very difficult They felt isolated and alone ... we would often have to refer to social workers and counselors There was a big spike in depression and anxiety .” TEACHER “ We need to speak about how the world is burning around us ... I don ’ t even know what day it is and I ’ m struggling to get through the week Educators need mental health support .” Parents , students , and teachers are concerned about students ’ and their own mental health and want more support Participants reported similar emotions : sadness , frustration , stress , loneliness , and anxiety The most common concern among participants was the lack of opportunity for students to interact and build relationships with teachers and each other D I G I T A L E Q U I T Y L I S T E N I N G P R O J E C T IN THEIR OWN WORDS Parents , students , and teachers need social - emotional support PARENT “ There was boring and uninteresting material for a couple of our kids ... I ’ d like to see more involvement and engagement .” PARENT “ We need to make sure that there is structure and that it ’ s as engaging as it can possibly be so that students are actually participating and learning .’ TEACHER “ The biggest challenge with engagement is that they weren ’ t held accountable – there were no grades ” TEACHER “ Even if there are students with barriers , we should address those barriers and set expectations .” TEACHER “ I ’ m a great teacher but I wasn ’ t trained in this .” P A G E 0 7 Teachers reported low engagement with online instruction Participants cited a need for more engaging lessons and accountability Many parents reported that their students found virtual lessons boring and lacked motivation to complete work Students also had difficulty finding motivation to engage in academics because there were no grades or peers to hold them accountable Teachers requested more professional development to improve their digital lessons D I G I T A L E Q U I T Y L I S T E N I N G P R O J E C T IN THEIR OWN WORDS Teachers need more professional development to create engaging digital lessons D P S F o u n d a t i o n a n d S t u d e n t U h a v e p r e l i m i n a r y p l a n s t o c o n d u c t a f o l l o w - u p t o t h i s l i s t e n i n g p r o j e c t i n t h e f a l l o f 2 0 2 0 . W e t h i n k i t w i l l b e i m p o r t a n t t o h e a r f r o m o u r s t u d e n t s , f a m i l i e s a n d e d u c a t o r s a b o u t t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e s w i t h r e m o t e d i g i t a l l e a r n i n g i n t h e f i r s t m o n t h s o f s c h o o l a n d c o n s i d e r h o w t h e i r i n p u t c a n i n f o r m o u r o n g o i n g e f f o r t s . D P S a n d c o m m u n i t y p a r t n e r s a r e c o m m i t t e d t o e n s u r i n g a l l s t u d e n t s h a v e a c c e s s t o h i g h - q u a l i t y d i g i t a l r e m o t e i n s t r u c t i o n t h i s s c h o o l y e a r . W h a t w e h a v e h e a r d f r o m o u r s t u d e n t s , f a m i l i e s a n d e d u c a t o r s t h r o u g h t h i s l i s t e n i n g p r o j e c t w i l l h e l p i n f o r m t h e s e a p p r o a c h e s . L e a r n m o r e a b o u t D P S F o u n d a t i o n ' s e f f o r t s t o A c c e l e r a t e D i g i t a l E q u i t y a n d h o w y o u c a n j o i n u s a t b u l l c i t y s c h o o l s . o r g / d i g i t a l e q u i t y L e a r n m o r e a b o u t h o w S t u d e n t U u s e s t h e p o w e r o f e d u c a t i o n t o b u i l d a j u s t a n d e q u i t a b l e D u r h a m a t s t u d e n t u d u r h a m . o r g P A G E 0 8 D I G I T A L E Q U I T Y L I S T E N I N G P R O J E C T What you can do