COVID-19: Nigerian youth initiative leverages technology to provide low-income children access to education 

Apps that track students’ online activity, door-to-door visits, and receiving input from families on how to reopen schools, are all ways school districts across the country are responding to absenteeism during the pandemic. In one San Antonio district, they were able to locate around 2,900 of the 3,000 students who weren’t showing up to classes.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, “almost half of schoolchildren, or a total of 121 million pupils, are unable to access remote learning,” according to a 2020 UNICEF report, an even bigger problem during a pandemic when students can’t access virtual classes. Eneza Education is using texts messages to deliver classes. Their bite-size lessons delivered via text and “Ask a Teacher” feature are providing education to millions of subscribers.

In Denver, learning pods are helping students access virtual classes during a pandemic. At the Adams 12 school district, 4000 students, district-wide, participate in the pod. Similarly, HOPE Online Learning Academy Co-Op launched a learning center. Students can sit in a classroom, access Wi-Fi, and count on the support of an adult. They also distributed 600 computers, 400 webcams from PCs, and 1,077 laptops to enrolled middle and high school students.

The city of Tulsa took a variety of steps to make sure English as a Second Language learners didn’t fall behind in their virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, school officials made sure students had their basic needs by providing them with meals, hotspots, Chromebooks, and classroom supplies. Families were also given access to social workers that check in one of them, had support from teachers, and could network with other ESL parents through the English Learner Parent Advisory Committee. “Everything they’ve given us has been a miracle.”

At least 40 percent, or 2,000, students from Lockhart ISD didn’t have access to reliable internet. To address the issue, the school district built seven towers. They also installed antennas on individual homes so they can receive the signals from the towers. As a result, 1,300 students got connected. “This is about equity,” Estrada said. “Every one of our Lockhart Lions needs to have access to the opportunities they deserve to grow and truly thrive.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to shift to remote learning, districts issued wireless hot spots to students as a cost-effective solution to help those living in homes without internet access their school work. While hot spots helped a large number of students, a present digital divide — specifically in rural areas — has made connecting harder for others, but government funding is ramping up to expand broadband access.

Chicago Connected is a $50 million four-year program that has already provided high-speed broadband to over 40,000 households in need, representing around 64,000 Chicago public school students, and plans to expand. On-the-ground community outreach in multiple languages was key to connecting residents to the program quickly, which was needed as school went virtual due to COVID-19. The public schools helped identify eligible low-income students whose parents were then contacted by outreach workers.

In Boston, four organizations that serve Black and Latino families formed an alliance to provide low-cost learning pods to students of color. Run out of two churches, the full-day learning pods “serve nearly two dozen kindergarten through sixth-grade students.” The service comes at a crucial time, since pandemic learning is leaving behind students of color who already were at a disadvantage.

In the Philippines, more than half of households have limited access to the internet, making remote teaching challenging. Schools, teachers, and the government have found creative ways to reach students. Some teachers are texting students, others drop out printed materials at student homes, and the government even produced radio and TV shows to explain assignments.

Engaging parents during the pandemic is crucial for student learning. This story takes a look at methods undertaken by an organization in U.S. and another in Botswana. In the U.S., Springboard, has a five-week summer program that helps parents assist their children with book reading. The group also trained 3,000 new Teach for America members and went from working with 62 schools to 667. In Bostwana, the organization Young 1ove launched the Low-Tech Remote Education program, which gives student math classes through text or calls.