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Appendices

Appendix A – Additional Digital Use Divide Examples

Supporting Teacher and Students in Van Meter, Iowa

Serving more than 1,000 PK-12 students in a single building, the Van Meter Community School District in Iowa has committed to helping educators leverage active technology use to support learning goals. Supported by a team of instructional coaches that focuses on building relationships and meeting teachers where they are, teachers are updating lessons to help students build their digital literacy skills and engage more deeply with content. For example, an annual 5th-grade project on the civil rights movement was transformed after students and teachers watched a speech by late civil rights leader Representative John Lewis and learned about his autobiographical black and white graphic novel trilogy about the civil rights movement, March. Inspired by his story, teachers had students use a digital storyboarding tool to create graphic novels about well-known figures in the civil rights movement, which students could share online with their families. By providing teachers with ongoing, job-embedded support, they continue to grow and improve their professional practice.

Developing a Computer Science Immersion Program in South Dakota

In 2017, Sioux Falls School District found ways to bring technology into the district. They started a five-year partnership with Code to the Future to create a computer science immersion program in three Title 1 elementary schools and two high-poverty middle schools. Code to the Future trains the teachers by having them do the assignments and projects their students will do, and then they learn to code and complete hands-on projects. By integrating coding throughout their core classes, students develop critical thinking, collaboration, problem-solving, and other skills that companies need. In addition to this program, the district also created maker spaces in some of its elementary and middle school libraries using a state innovation grant. Teachers encourage students to apply what they learn to create something in the maker space, using items like sewing machines, jewelry-making supplies, Legos, Kinex blocks, 3D drawing pens, and programming kits. Librarians say that one of their favorite outcomes is watching students teach each other how to create things.

Institute of Education Sciences Grant Funds Tool to Support Writing Instruction

Funded through a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences in 2021, Writing Architect169 is a tool aiming to “assist teachers in connecting evidence-based writing instruction with students’ needs as identified in a digital classroom written composition assessment. The goal is to improve late elementary students’ written composition in response to text (informational writing) and to use assessment results more effectively for instructional purposes.”170 Led by researchers at Michigan State University and piloted in Michigan elementary schools through 2025, the project aims to create “an integrated tool that combines digital assessment of writing with differentiated instructional recommendations, and the support needed to implement differentiated writing instruction.” By “gathering feedback from teacher users, teaching experts, and writing experts,” the project highlights the power of keeping “humans in the loop” when designing edtech tools.

Leveraging Math Badges for Mastery-Based Assessment

The Idaho Math Initiative, led by the State Department of Education (SDE) and funded by Idaho Statute 33-1627, seeks to promote the improvement of mathematical instruction and student achievement in the state while leveraging digital badges to mark student competency. One of four states, along with Illinois, Rhode Island, and Kentucky, Idaho worked with XQ Institute to pilot using Math Badges designed for high school mathematics to implement a mastery-based assessment system. XQ support included the creation of Math Badge assessments and funding a half-time Regional Math Specialist to serve as project lead. The project also provided funding for professional training across eight school districts and planning time for school-level teams. The SDE is also working with the Idaho Division of Career and Technical Education(CTE) to develop a system to track and store student progress and digital badges. The project will allow CTE programs to integrate course content with mathematics assessments and provide an assessment system for awarding mathematics course credit.

Students earn badges by providing evidence demonstrating mastery of the badge content and practicing expectations in a multiple measures system. The badges will align with three standard general education mathematics courses available through Idaho’s colleges and universities.

Developing a Graduate Profile and a Graduate Profile Learning Continuum

The Howard-Suamico School District (HSSD) near Green Bay, Wisconsin, has eight schools and serves more than 6,000 students in grades PK-12. The district developed a Graduate Profile to prepare students for a constantly evolving world. The Graduate Profile characteristics include being a self-starter, critical thinker, collaborator, communicator, being adaptable, responsible, and solutionist. Students learn foundational academic skills alongside the graduate profile characteristics to accentuate a whole-student experience in HSSD. Throughout the year, the Board of Education monitors student performance in the seven characteristics of the Graduate Profile.To help ensure students build these skills at developmentally appropriate levels throughout their PK12 career, the district also developed a Graduate Profile Learning Continuum that explains the progression of learning throughout the Graduate Profile. This continuum guides student learning experiences from PK-12. Edtech is used as needed to help students develop these skills. The goal is to prepare students for success in whatever post-graduation path they choose.

Appendix B – Additional Digital Design Divide Examples

The examples below showcase additional states and school districts working to close the Digital Design Divide.

Maine Project Benefits from Contributions at all Levels

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated systemic inequities and challenges related to ensuring equitable learning opportunities for all Maine learners and particularly for rural students, students with individualized education plans, and economically underserved students. To address these inequities, the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) Commissioner’s Office, through the Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures (RREV) grant, is providing professional development training and funding to support innovative remote learning solutions that have the potential to improve learner outcomes. As a result of this five-year grant, the Institute of Education Sciences Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northeast & Islands will collaborate with MDOE and other partners, including students, to build district capacity to use research and data to improve innovations developed through the RREV grant and other sources, assess learner outcomes, and develop promising practices for sustaining and scaling up the innovations.

REL Northeast & Islands will facilitate a training series with district innovation teams to develop and implement a process for examining the implementation fidelity of their remote learning innovations, create a fact sheet summarizing the literature on the innovation areas such as outdoor education and online learning, and produce a co-authored blog series.

By leveraging federal resources, state-level systems, and local understanding of context and needs, this program aims to better ensure rural Maine educators are able to meet the needs of all learners in innovative ways.

South Carolina Instruction Hub Provides Statewide Access to Digital Learning Resources

Serving more than 780,000 students in 75 Districts, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) needed to address the problem of uneven distribution of learning resources across the state. The SCDE sought to create and provide each school equitable access to up-to-date digital courses and materials, so they partnered with a digital education content provider to develop a Learning Object Repository (LOR). A LOR is a searchable digital library of educational content (learning objects) where teachers, students, and administrators can store, search, access, and share various digital resources from any device and place. The SCDE uses the LOR, called the Instruction Hub, to manage resources and assimilate new content for automated distribution to every school district in the state. Because the LOR utilizes industry-accepted data standards, it integrates with various Learning Management Systems used by South Carolina school systems. In addition to increasing the number of high-quality digital resources available to teachers, the LOR saves teachers valuable planning and preparation time.

The Instruction Hub is implemented across 99% of the state’s schools. A robust meta-tagging system makes finding content by grade, subject, and keywords easy. Through Instruction Hub, educators can access licensed resources from several content providers and South Carolina Educational Television.

Arkansas Builds Partnership for Equity in Digital Professional Learning Access

Often focused on expanding student opportunities, public-private partnerships hold significant potential for educator learning as well. Tapping into this potential is the aim of ArkansasIDEAS, a partnership between Arkansas PBS and the Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

In a state with a majority-rural population, ArkansasIDEAS provides access to more than 700 online professional development courses free of charge to all Arkansas licensed educators. This equity of access for educators across the state also ensures all districts are able to provide professional learning for their teachers in accordance with state law in areas such as Holocaust education, the science of reading, state history, and others. While the full catalog is available for licensed Arkansas educators, ArkansasIDEAS also provides access to a limited selection of courses for paraprofessionals, pre-licensed educators, and support staff. By including all licensed educators and allowing an on-ramp for pre-licensed teachers, ArkansasIDEAS is ensuring the state’s educators and future educators have equitable high-quality digital resources for professional learning.

Sparking Innovation in Response to Teacher Needs

Sometimes, innovation requires a push. A program supporting teachers across West Virginia works to do just that. The West Virginia Public Education Collaborative (WVPEC) housed at West Virginia University is a “non-partisan collaborative of diverse state and national leaders committed to championing public education at all levels through outreach and innovation while engaging government, education and business leaders to rapidly respond to emerging issues.” Among WVPEC’s goals is a resolve to elevate and expand existing initiatives. Its Teacher Innovation Mini-Grant program does just that. From 198 applications requiring teachers to explain how their project would “address post-COVID-19 learning, and how will these classroom enhancements become permanent classroom innovations,” WVPEC announced 23 projects for Summer 2023. In partnership with the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, WVPEC was able to award $4,000 in funding to each recipient. Projects span pre-k through 12th grade and fall within the categories of career and technical education, ELA, STEAM, Special Education, and Family Engagement. As a result of WVPEC’s efforts to listen to and better understand what teachers need in order to innovate, the program is set to spark teacher-led innovation across the state.

Louisiana Teachers Create State-Specific Edtech Integration Guide

When considering how best to support Louisiana educators with edtech integration, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) found that much of the professional learning provided by outside groups was challenging to implement and integrate because it didn’t align with the state-approved curriculum. Recognizing the need for state-specific support, they assembled a geographically diverse team of teachers, coaches, leaders, and librarians across the state to develop digital learning guidance to support technology integration within the state curriculum aligned with the state Educational Technology Plan and Digital Literacy Guidance.

The LDOE created a website with educator-created content for teachers and edtech leaders to communicate this information. Because Louisiana educators develop the content, it is relevant to the specific state context. Additional content integration materials are under development. The LDOE hosts monthly calls for edtech leaders and posts the slide decks online for reference. Department leaders recommend that states facing similar challenges budget for these kinds of projects and tap into and amplify the voices of in-state talent.

Personalizing Student Learning Through Tacoma Online

Tacoma Online, an online school founded in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has evolved into an integral part of Tacoma Public Schools’ innovative learning landscape. Catering to more than 1,200 students from K-12, it provides a personalized online learning experience and remains committed to bridging educational gaps exacerbated by the digital divide. Tacoma Online provides flexible and accessible learning opportunities that cater to individual student needs anytime and anywhere.

Tangible outcomes of the program’s effectiveness include increased credit attainment, improved attendance rates, elevated academic achievements, and prioritized student engagement levels. These successes are quantified through the school’s PACE program (Personalized, Accelerated, Connected, Empowered), capturing both quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback. Each student has a PACE Coach, a caring adult staff member committed to supporting each student’s social, emotional, and academic growth.

The initiative’s success is evident in its enhanced offerings, including optional in-person learning experiences that enrich the educational journey. These advancements pave the way for expansion beyond the immediate region, reaching students across the wider area. The program is expanding to include Tacoma Flex, the part-time enrollment of secondary learners choosing to engage in in-person and online learning. 

According to Adam Kulaas, Director of Innovative Learning & CTE for Tacoma Online, forging robust partnerships with community organizations and technology providers laid a solid foundation for the program’s success. In addition, Tacoma Online provides tailored support for students and educators transitioning to online learning. Consistent data collection and analysis of student performance and engagement continue to drive ongoing program refinements and support sustained growth and efficacy.

Appendix C – Additional Digital Access Divide Examples

Broadband Availability Data Collection and Mapping at Navajo Preparatory School

The Navajo Preparatory School in New Mexico serves learners across the Navajo Nation, which is the size of West Virginia. The school enrolls approximately 270 students from more than 50 majority-rural communities. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school surveyed learners to understand internet access availability in specific residential locations down to their global positioning system coordinates (latitude and longitude). Many learners needed access to reliable, high-speed broadband. Based on the survey results, the school created a map identifying which ISPs and cellular services had service available. Their school staff installed the necessary equipment in students’ homes, including extending cellular coverage by installing routers and antennas. The school installed HughesNet satellite technology for learners who could not be reached by wired or cellular service. In some cases, the school distributed multiple hotspots to individual households. They are maintaining the home internet options for all learners in case the school needs to transition online again, ensuring that learners have reliable, high-speed broadband for learning at home.

Guam Receives Internet for All Planning Grant

Guam has consistently lagged behind all other United States territories regarding internet speed growth.173 Approximately 30% of the state population lives where high-speed internet is unavailable,174 including some of the 31,000 students representing diverse ethnic groups who attend Guam’s 36 public schools. In areas where high-speed internet is available, Guam residents pay significantly higher rates than on the United States mainland.175 Speak Up Survey results from Project Tomorrow have indicated that there is a digital divide that exists within Guam’s public schools and a gap between Guam’s public schools and United States mainland schools in terms of access to and usage of digital technologies.176 To help address this challenge, Guam received planning grants for deploying high-speed Internet service networks and developing digital skills training programs under the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative. Guam is receiving $1.4 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to plan to deploy and adopt affordable, equitable, and reliable high-speed Internet service throughout the territory.  The funding will create new opportunities to expand people’s access to high-speed Internet, digital literacy, and IT job training in Guam.177

Virginia Implements Statewide Collection of Student Home Broadband Access

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia needed a complete picture of student home access to devices and broadband. The state couldn’t apply resources to address the problem without an accurate understanding of student access. In 2022, Virginia passed legislation requiring every school district to submit an annual report to the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development listing the 911 address of all students who do not have home broadband access, defined by speeds at or above 100 megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload.

Data collection processes can be challenging to establish, and school districts had to devise methods of collecting accurate information from families. In addition, the data includes PII such as student addresses and must be secured. Data collection is more efficient now that systems have been established to gather and protect it. Student information systems must include standardized fields to store the data without requiring districts to make costly custom requests.

By systematically collecting device and access metrics across Virginia, the state has a comprehensive data set for broadband planning. At the local level, districts can understand better how to serve their students and families.

Texas District Partners with SpaceX to Bring Satellite Internet to Underserved Communities

Ector County Independent School District (ECISD) serves about 33,500 students in Western Texas, with approximately 80% of students identifying as Hispanic or Latino. When the pandemic interrupted in-person schooling in 2020, surveys indicated that 39% of ECISD students either did not have home internet access or had marginal internet access that was inadequate for schoolwork. Looking to find a long-term solution for families in communities where reliable high-speed broadband was unavailable, Ector County ISD became the first school district to partner with SpaceX, the Starlink satellite internet service provider, for broadband.

The district targeted homes in the Pleasant Farms area, a rural community with no high-speed internet options for the initial rollout. Philanthropic partners supporting the initiative included Chiefs for Change, Permian Strategic Partnership (a regional coalition of oil and gas industry leaders), and the Odessa Development Corporation. Challenges included assisting residents with equipment setup and helping some families understand the need for and benefits of home broadband. District personnel made home visits and phone calls to gather feedback about the project.

The work resulted in more than 1,000 families being connected to reliable, affordable internet service. The Ector County partnerships demonstrate how school and government agencies can collaborate to document local broadband needs and identify funding opportunities.

Bringing Broadband to Tribal Lands in Minnesota

The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians, also called Ojibwe, live in northern Minnesota, about 45 miles from the Canadian border. The reservation spans Koochiching, St. Louis, and Itasca Counties. Through the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, the tribe received a $19,800,704 Broadband Infrastructure Deployment grant to install fiber directly connecting approximately 2,050 unserved Native American households, plus more than 60 businesses and community anchor institutions, with up to 1 gigabyte per second fiber broadband service. The program’s goals include increasing healthcare access, boosting employment and economic development, building telework and entrepreneurship opportunities, providing training and workforce development, and improving the overall quality of life of Tribal residents. Beneficiaries will include Tribal residents, students, educators, adult learners, job seekers, entrepreneurs, employers, and employees, including the employees of Tribal operations.

Massachusetts District Takes a Continuous Improvement Approach to Data Privacy and Security

Protecting student data privacy is an ongoing, ever-evolving challenge. Navigating rapid changes in risk while simultaneously sustaining the appropriate support and continuing to grow a security and privacy-focused district culture is an ongoing challenge. Dedham Public Schools in Massachusetts is tackling these challenges with a growth mindset and continuous improvement approach that began by completing a district-wide self-assessment.

The assessment “provided an excellent opportunity to reflect, prioritize and improve many of our current practices, especially around the need to have a sustained, focused approach to student data privacy and cybersecurity,” said District Technology Director Dr. Don Langenhorst. “Not only were we able to adapt and adopt new approaches, but we also discovered a solid network of colleagues around the country who are willing to collaborate and share effective practices for school communities.”

At the administrative level, student data privacy topics and ongoing improvement are a component of every bi-monthly meeting. The district established a CyberSecurity Team, which meets monthly to review projects and future needs or goals. They also made data privacy and cybersecurity part of the quarterly professional development plan for all educators and staff. This includes conducting differentiated, AI-based phishing tests quarterly along with quarterly training.

“The biggest indicator of success has been seeing changes in behavior with a significant increase in staff awareness, commitment, and acceptance of practices,” Langenhorst said.

Nassau BOCES Supports School System Privacy and Cybersecurity Efforts

The Board of Cooperative Educational Services of Nassau County (Nassau BOCES) is the largest in New York State, serving 56 school systems. Among the many resources available to members is their Data Privacy and Security Service (DPSS), which provides guidance and resources to help districts comply with federal and state student data privacy laws. The service works with districts to improve their cybersecurity posture through the application of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework, working primarily with district-appointed Data Protection Officers (DPOs) and Directors of Technology.

The DPSS mostly focuses on district compliance under New York State Education Law 2-d, a law enacted to protect the PII of students from unauthorized disclosure. The BOCES provides school systems with training and resources to help them avoid accidental data disclosures and cyberattacks, as well as consultation and assistance related to disclosures and other cyber events. Currently, 92% of Nassau BOCES members subscribe to the DPSS service and are continuously working to improve their data privacy and security posture.

The BOCES also offers a Data Protection Officer Support Service as an additional member resource. Because the majority of district DPOs have multiple roles and responsibilities, this service provides additional support to comply with state regulations. These services help ensure the security of student data in even the smallest school systems.

Washington, D.C. Provides Access Improving Accessibility

With the announcement of the Community Internet Program, Washington, D.C. granted ISPs “free access to the roofs of DC-owned buildings, operated by the Department of General Services, to install service antennas if they commit to providing resident connectivity with reliable, high-speed connections (200 Mbps up/200 Mbps down or higher) at reduced or no cost to households eligible for the federal Affordable Connectivity Program.” While the move provides greater internet connectivity to all DC residents, it has specific implications for DC students requiring internet access to complete school-assigned activities at home. The move is also likely to aid DC Public School (DCPS) officials as they work to realize the goals set forth by the “DCPS Digital Equity Act of 2022,” which calls on district officials to ensure all DCPS students have “sufficient internet access to support in-school and out-of-school learning.” The Act also requires DCPS’s Comprehensive Student Technology Equity Plan to articulate the digital literacy skills necessary to support their learning – an example of access and digital health, safety, & citizenship planning happening concurrently to close the digital access divide.

Appendix D – NETP24 A Guide for State Leaders

There are three images representing the digital divides. In one, A student stands on one side of a river, with examples of active digital use on the other. In another, a tangle of thread is surrounded by an hourglass, a open hand, and a nearly empty battery icon. In the third image, two students, one in a wheelchair, are on either side of a latter going straight up.
The three Digital Divides: The Digital Use Divide, the Digital Design Divide, and the Digital Access Divide

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) is the flagship edtech policy document for the United States articulating a vision of equity that calls upon all involved in American education to ensure every student has access to transformational learning experiences enabled by technology. State leaders in state departments of education, governors’ offices and legislatures play a critical role in achieving this vision. This guide provides these leaders some immediate steps they can take to support the communities and students they serve to advance the goals of the NETP. 

As a starting point, every state should have a vision for digital learning. This could take the form of a digital learning plan or a portrait of a learning environment, but most importantly, the vision should address critical questions relating to the three digital divides: 

Digital Use (active student creation and critical analysis): 

  • Does the state provide resources, including funding, to enable districts to provide training to teachers on the integration of edtech into effective instruction?  
  • Is your state collecting information from districts that can help determine if edtech is being used effectively? 

Digital Design (universal design for learning; teacher time and capacity): 

  • Has your state adopted the Universal Design for Learning Framework? 
  • Does your state have a Profile of a Teacher that incorporates the integration of technology into effective student learning experiences?

Digital Access (connectivity, devices, content, accessibility, digital health, safety, & citizenship): 

  • Has the state communicated expectations around accessibility for students in school and at home? 
  • Does the state have a plan for supporting student digital health, safety, and citizenship? 
  • Does the state have a sustainability plan? 

The following are some immediate, high impact steps state policymakers can take in their states to advance the equitable and effective use of edtech in their states. 

  1. Establish a cabinet level edtech director to ensure education technology funds are spent wisely and effectively.
  2. Develop a digital equity plan in consultation with a broad group of stakeholders and according to established review cycles.
  3. Develop and publish a “Portrait of a Learning Environment” to present a vision for the effective and appropriate use of edtech while setting expectations around habits and abilities no matter what the space.

State leaders are encouraged to read the full report for more recommendations and examples of states, districts and schools that are using technology effectively to drive outcomes for learners.

Appendix E – NETP24 A Guide for District Leaders

There are three images representing the digital divides. In one, A student stands on one side of a river, with examples of active digital use on the other. In another, a tangle of thread is surrounded by an hourglass, a open hand, and a nearly empty battery icon. In the third image, two students, one in a wheelchair, are on either side of a latter going straight up.
The three Digital Divides: The Digital Use Divide, the Digital Design Divide, and the Digital Access Divide

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) is the flagship edtech policy document for the United States articulating a vision of equity that calls upon all involved in American education to ensure every student has access to transformational learning experiences enabled by technology. This guide provides district leaders – including superintendents and school board members – some immediate steps they can take to support the communities and students they serve to advance the goals of the NETP. 

As a starting point, every district should have a vision for student success – such as a profile of a learner or graduate – and a profile of an educator that aligns with that vision. In designing strategies to achieve this vision, district leaders should address critical questions relating to the three digital divides: 

Digital Use (active student creation and critical analysis): 

  • Does your district provide professional development and support to district and building-level administrators and educators to support the use of evidence to inform edtech decisions? 
  • Does your district’s subject matter curricula scope and sequence ensure that student learning experiences build age-appropriate digital literacy skills through active technology use for learning? 
  • Is your district collecting data to determine if teachers and students are using technology effectively? 

Digital Design (universal design for learning; teacher time and capacity): 

  • Has your district adopted the Universal Design for Learning Framework? 
  • Has your district built in adequate time for teachers to learn about, and practice, the effective incorporation of technology into instruction?

Digital Access (connectivity, devices, content, accessibility, digital health, safety, & citizenship): 

  • Has your district communicated consistent expectations regarding the use of technology in all classrooms and settings? 
  • Does your district’s budget account for long term sustainability of edtech investments? 
  • Do your district’s procurement processes take into account accessibility and inclusivity of edtech tools? 

The following are some immediate, high impact steps district leaders can take to advance the equitable and effective use of edtech in their classrooms. 

  1. Establish a cabinet level edtech director to oversee and support the equitable and effective use of technology across the district. 
  2. Develop a digital equity plan in consultation with a broad group of stakeholders and according to established review cycles.
  3. Develop and publish a “Portrait of a Learning Environment” to present a vision for the effective and appropriate use of edtech while setting expectations around habits and abilities no matter what the space.

District leaders are encouraged to read the full report for more recommendations and examples of states, districts and schools that are using technology effectively to drive outcomes for learners.

Appendix F – NETP24 A Guide for School Leaders

There are three images representing the digital divides. In one, A student stands on one side of a river, with examples of active digital use on the other. In another, a tangle of thread is surrounded by an hourglass, a open hand, and a nearly empty battery icon. In the third image, two students, one in a wheelchair, are on either side of a latter going straight up.
The three Digital Divides: The Digital Use Divide, the Digital Design Divide, and the Digital Access Divide

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) is the flagship edtech policy document for the United States articulating a vision of equity that calls upon all involved in American education to ensure every student has access to transformational learning experiences enabled by technology. This guide provides district leaders – including superintendents and school board members – some immediate steps they can take to support the communities and students they serve to advance the goals of the NETP. 

As a starting point, every school leader needs to communicate a vision for student learning that incorporates the appropriate use of technology in every classroom. That vision should address critical questions relating to the three digital divides: 

Digital Use (active student creation and critical analysis): 

  • Does your school provide feedback mechanisms that empower students to become co-designers of their learning experiences? 
  • Does your school utilize rubrics for effective digital resource and tool adoption that support the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles? 

Digital Design (universal design for learning; teacher time and capacity): 

  • Has your school provided time, resources, and support for educators to enhance and grow their professional practice, develop digital literacy skills, and design learning experiences that align with the UDL Framework? 
  • Does your school solicit feedback from diverse stakeholders to collaborate on decision-making for technology purchases, learning space design, and curriculum planning?

Digital Access (connectivity, devices, content, accessibility, digital health, safety, & citizenship): 

  • Does your school conduct regular needs assessments to ensure technology properly supports learning? 
  • Does every student in your school have access to everywhere, all-the-time learning? 

The following are some immediate, high impact steps school leaders can take to advance the equitable and effective use of edtech in their classrooms. 

  1. Identify an edtech leader in your school who can support educators, conduct needs assessments and develop feedback mechanisms that include a diverse set of stakeholders including students.
  2. Develop a digital equity plan in consultation with a broad group of stakeholders and according to established review cycles.
  3. Ensure all teachers have the time and support necessary to build capacity as learning designers.

School leaders are encouraged to read the full report for more recommendations and examples of states, districts and schools that are using technology effectively to drive outcomes for learners.

Appendix G – NETP24 A Guide for Educators

There are three images representing the digital divides. In one, A student stands on one side of a river, with examples of active digital use on the other. In another, a tangle of thread is surrounded by an hourglass, a open hand, and a nearly empty battery icon. In the third image, two students, one in a wheelchair, are on either side of a latter going straight up.
The three Digital Divides: The Digital Use Divide, the Digital Design Divide, and the Digital Access Divide

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) is the flagship edtech policy document for the United States articulating a vision of equity that calls upon all involved in American education to ensure every student has access to transformational learning experiences enabled by technology. As the individuals entrusted with educating the students in their classrooms, educators play a critical role in achieving this vision, but may not feel empowered to drive system-level change. This guide provides teachers with some practical steps they can take to support their peers and the communities and students they serve to advance the goals of the NETP. 

As a starting point, every educator should use the NETP to evaluate their own practice by reflecting on critical questions relating to the three digital divides: 

Digital Use (active student creation and critical analysis): 

  • Are all the students I serve having transformative, active, creative, critically thoughtful experiences supported by technology? 
  • Am I actively empowering students to become co-designers of their learning experiences? 

Digital Design (universal design for learning; teacher time and capacity): 

  • Am I developing my digital literacy skills and am I modeling those skills for the students I serve? 
  • Am I taking advantage of opportunities to grow and enhance by professional practice?
  • Am I designing learning opportunities and experiences that align with the Universal Design for Learning principles? 

Digital Access (connectivity, devices, content, accessibility, digital health, safety, & citizenship): 

  • Does every student in my classroom have equitable access to the learning experiences I design?  
  • Have I ensured that every student in my classroom can access the edtech tools we use? 

The following are some immediate, high impact steps educators can take to advance the goals of the NETP and improve the equitable and effective use of edtech in their communities. 

  1. Establish professional learning networks and communities with your peers on topics in the NETP. 
  2. Advocate directly or through your member organizations for the conditions necessary to support the effective use of technology in your classroom and community.
  3. Inspire your peers and leaders with examples of incredible work taking place in other schools across the country.
  4. Adopt the UDL Framework in your school.

Educators are encouraged to read the full report for more recommendations and examples of states, districts and schools that are using technology effectively to drive outcomes for learners.


171 (n.d.). Rethinking Responsive Education Ventures – RREV. Maine Department of Education. Retrieved September 6, 2023, from https://www.maine.gov/doe/rrev

172 U.S. Department of Education (n.d.). Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved September 6, 2023, from https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/region/northeast

173 (2023, July 11). The Pulse of Pacific Broadband: Taking a Deeper Dive. Pacific Broadband and Digital Equity. Retrieved September 6, 2023, from https://www.pacificbroadband.org/2023/07/11/the-pulse-of-pacific-broadband-taking-a-deeper-dive/ 

174 (n.d.). Guam. Internet For All. Retrieved September 6, 2023, from https://www.internetforall.gov/interactive-map/Guam-GU

175 U.S. Department of Education (n.d.). Broadband Affordability Tracker. Pacific Broadband and Digital Equity. Retrieved September 6, 2023, from https://www.pacificbroadband.org/resources/#tracker

176 Velasco, Richard. (2017). Hearing Pacific Island Voices: Digital Divide in Guam’s Public Schools. 1. 25-40.

177 (2023, May 16). Biden-Harris Administration Awards $1.4 Million to Guam in ‘Internet for All’ Planning Grants. National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Retrieved September 6, 2023, from https://www.ntia.gov/press-release/2023/biden-harris-administration-awards-14-million-guam-internet-all-planning-grants