Keith Krueger 
Most EdTech leaders know that equity is at the heart of our work. In fact, it has been a top Hurdle in the annual Driving K-12 Innovation reports for the last XX years. Likewise, there are many surveys that document how income, race/ethnicity, and other factors impact access to technology both at school and particularly at home.
But how do you know the situation for your students and families?
I am thrilled that CoSN, the nonprofit professional association of EdTech leaders/CIO/CTOs has just released a new Digital Equity Dashboard, a powerful and practical tool designed to help school districts and communities leverage data to close digital equity gaps. This tool breaks down anonymized national data into county, school district, and zip code units providing school and community leaders access to data to inform decision-makers and address equity concerns.
Why is the Digital Equity Dashboard important?
With this Dashboard, districts can use this data in infinite ways to make informed decisions around digital equity. For example, school leaders can examine data to see the number of households without internet access within their attendance area. Another example is that school districts can compare internet upload and download statistics to see if families have equitable access to high-quality broadband. Additionally, data related to health, educational attainment, income, and other demographics are included in the dashboard so that school leaders can correlate outcomes to levels of internet access. For more information on how a school district and community can employ this dashboard, take a look at these video tutorials.
As a technology lead in my district, being empowered in the decision-making process with a robust data solution is invaluable. Having actionable, dependable data at your fingertips, allowing for precise decision-making and tailored resource allocation, is a powerful partner in driving district success. Because when it comes to leading districts, information isn’t just power – it’s progress. – Dr. Tom Ryan, former CITO, Santa Fe Public Schools.
Building on Past CoSN Research
Previous research by CoSN found that although most students returned to school last year following remote learning, there was more internet traffic on the school network from outside of school hours than during school hours. Home technology access is critical to bridge the Homework Gap, especially for low-income, disproportionately black and Hispanic students. This tool will give school leaders actionable information about where the problem exists.
Special thanks to Dell Technologies and Google, and our data partner Innive for this innovative Dashboard combining several disparate national data sets into one comprehensive dashboard.
Later this year CoSN will release case studies of several partner school districts who have linked their district data in a collaborative effort to demonstrate the use of data analytics to inform critical decision-making, leverage state and federal funding opportunities, and drive communication and collaboration within their organization and across their communities.
While this is called the “Digital” Equity Dashboard, to be honest, it likely has applications far beyond digital. I encourage you to explore this new powerful tool and think about how you can use it in your school or school district. Share this new Dashboard with other partners, so you have a robust and comprehensive look at inequalities in your community. Data is powerful in the fight for equity.
About CoSN
CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) is the premier professional association for EdTech leaders/CIO/CTOS. cosn.org Check out other CoSN digital equity resources at cosn.org/digitalequity.
EdCircuit Staff