Establishing 1:1 to Increase Equity
Richmond, VA| Everyday millions of Americans work is powered by a computer. Our livelihoods are attached to the ability to use technology quickly and effectively to find solutions in our lives; it is where innovation is nurtured. Even with vast amount of users of technology, we know the digital divide still exists between the haves and have nots in the homes of millions of students across the country. While there is a lot of information on the digital divide which exists in schools, little has been discussed about the digital divides which exist amongst school districts’ 1:1 initiatives. The term one-to-one (1:1) is applied to programs that provide all students in a school, district, or state with their own laptop, netbook, tablet computer, or other mobile-computing device. One-to-one refers to one computer for every student. I have found in my research that inequities also exist amongst different school districts right here in my own backyard of Richmond, Virginia.
You may have heard about the 1:1 initiative from Henrico County Public Schools, Richmond City’s suburban neighbor. In spring 2001, Henrico County gave each high school teacher an Apple iBook laptop so that he or she could become familiar with this new teaching tool. When school began, a total of 12,000 iBook laptops were deployed to our high school students. The only financial requirement from each student was a $50 insurance fee to cover theft, loss, or damage. Edwards found that too could be a stretch for some families; but they found a way. Edwards mentioned, “One student asked his teacher to guard a jar filled with $50 worth of coins and one-dollar bills, until the laptops were delivered in August — so that he could get his right of way.” Every student in the district in grades three through 12 was given a device to take home all day, every day. In addition to equipping their students and faculty with technology, they also changed the way that teachers teach through professional development sessions led by a full-time trainer at each high school. The sessions show teachers how to better integrate technology into their lessons. Farther along in Edwards Career in Moorseville, the NAACP was preparing to file a class-action lawsuit because African-American graduation rates were so low compared to other students. Five years after the digital conversion, the graduation rate was 98 percent, No.1 in the state. This may sound like a Cinderella story and I am sure there had to be a few other inputs in addition to supplying with technology to yield those kinds of results, but I think there is something to learn from his experience in both Henrico and Mooresville.
With Henrico being one of the first districts in the country to lead with a 1:1 program and also very close to where I reside, I was interested in seeing how other school districts’ 1:1 initiatives compared to their program. In the Greater Richmond Region which included eleven localities in the region, I found that of the 11 localities; Henrico, Chesterfield, Charles City, Petersburg, Richmond City, Dinwiddie, Goochland Hanover, New Kent and Powhatan, 91% of the counties had some form of a 1:1 initiative in their district. Leaving the City of Richmond as the only school district without offering their students. Compared to the other districts Richmond has some of the highest poverty rates and lowest performing schools in the state, not to mention the lowest on-time graduation rate of 70.6.
To this news, I thought about how can schools who do not have a 1:1 initiative create one to help create a more equitable experience for their students. Especially in urban schools who serve the most vulnerable students and could be supported by neighboring districts experiences to help them through the new process. As a result, I interviewed Beverly Cocke, the outgoing Henrico County School Board for the Brookland District in which she shared her suggestions on how to implement a 1:1 initiative.
Lets explore some wisdom:
Manage Expectations: Do not promise standardized test score with your initiative. In the words of Henrico County School Board Member Beverly Cocke, “ It is not a magic pill.” When starting your initiative, do not center your reason around test scores because standardized test scores do not test what technology teach students like solving problems, collaboration, and how to be innovative.
Teacher Development and Integration: 1:1 Programs sometimes are not implemented well, not because of students, but because of adults who are not ready to use or integrate technology into the classroom. When moving to a 1:1 model you must properly train teachers with ongoing professional development that shows them how to transform their class through technology.
Sustainability: Don’t low-ball your cost estimate. Building the networking infrastructure can amount to more than 25 percent of what a school district thinks it needs to move forward. In addition to the hardware costs, you also must add in the cost of the software leasing agreements or purchases on a per-unit basis, and how much it will cost to image each machine.
Going Slow to go Fast: Make sure that you do not roll your program out all at once, but go slow, so you can improve the program quickly. Instead of giving laptops to the entire district at once, start by giving computers to teachers one year, then expand to one school, then expand to the entire district.
One to One initiatives will not solve every problem for urban schools but the skills your students will receive as a result of this technology will change their lives and equip them in such a way that helps to give urban educated students the same access as students in suburban areas. Additionally, placing a computer in the hands of a low-income student, can also help the family as they too can have access to technology they would have otherwise not had.
Now that your district is ready to create your 1:1 plan here are some resources to make the experience even more innovative. Check out our specialty curated list. Good Luck!