A new report issued by the North Carolina State Board of Education found that the majority of students in the state have access to an internet-connected device both in school and at home.
Along with that finding, the report still urged schools to take steps to ensure that devices are being regularly updated and to ensure that students continue to have access to digital learning resources outside of the classroom.
The Statewide Trends in Digital Learning Report is intended to provide an overview of the current digital learning landscape within North Carolina Public School Units (PSUs). To develop the report, the state Board of Education uses data submitted yearly by PSUs as part of the Student Digital Learning and NC Digital Learning Media Inventory Surveys.
PSUs are required to submit data related to school digital device access, out-of-school digital device access, and out-of-school internet connectivity. The report covers responses from 322 PSUs including 115 local educational agencies and 206 charter/lab/regional schools.
In-School Device Access
According to the report, the overwhelming majority of PSUs – 83.8 percent – reported a 1:1 device-to-student ratio. These devices belong to the PSU and are used by students during the school day. Additionally, 2,206,443 devices were reported in the Digital Learning and Media Inventory. In terms of devices provided to students, it’s a fairly evenly split in whether students take the devices home with them after the school day. The report found that 55.94 percent of devices remain at school and 44.06 percent go home with students.
Out-of-School Device Access
The report noted that home access to devices does include school devices that are taken home, as well as devices that are owned by the family. To gather out-of-school device information, PSUs send home family surveys. The most survey was completed by the families of 99,038 students.
The majority of respondents reported that their child has access to a digital device at home, with 39.9 percent of families saying that their student uses a school provided device at home, 30.8 percent families reported that their student uses a family device, and 21.41 percent of families reported that their student has access to both a family and school device at home. Only 6.6 percent of families said their student does not have access to a device at home. The report did note that 1.23 percent of families reported that they would prefer not to answer the question.
The top reason for why a student does not have access to a device at home is that a device is too expensive for a family to purchase. Some families said they lack access to internet service that students would need to use a device at home.
Out-of-School Internet Connectivity
PSUs also sent home surveys to gather data from families on whether they have internet access for their students to use, and received responses from 67,376 families. The majority of families – 86.78 percent –
report that they have consistent internet access at home that is adequate to complete schoolwork. The survey also found that 6.14 percent of families only have consistent internet access sometimes, with 1.76 percent saying they do not have consistent access to internet service, and 5.23 percent declining to answer the question.
The survey also asked families to describe their source of internet access if they reported they could not access it at home, and 33,049 families answered this question. According to PSUs, 30.12 percent declined to answer. Among families that did answer, top responses included hotspots provided by the home, internet service at a public library, and internet at another home.
Recommendations
Despite the majority of students having access to devices at school and at home, as well as reliable internet access, the report offered up suggestions to ensure there is universal access to devices and internet.
First, PSUs are encouraged to explore ongoing funding to sustain a four-year refresh rate for student devices. The report noted that a pressing concern for PSUs revolves around the sustainability of student devices at their current levels due to funding constraints. Specifically, 82 LEAs and 101 Charter/Lab/Regional schools said they do not have funding to support device refresh cycles now that the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds have been spent.
“Refreshing devices will maintain an effective educational environment,” the report says. “Modern technology ensures students have access to the latest information and online resources, enhancing their learning experience. Up-to-date devices can securely run contemporary software applications, providing students with a wealth of relevant and current information that supports their educational growth and exploration of new concepts.”
The report recommends PSUs investigate ongoing funding based on an annual 25 percent refresh rate of the student population at each school, and said that rate will provide a four-year refresh cycle for each school.
Finally, the report notes that there have been significant strides in enhancing connectivity. However, the Board of Education remains concerned about the 7.923 percent of families who still have unreliable internet connections.
“It remains imperative for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) to sustain collaborative efforts with external partners, working towards the overarching objective of ensuring consistent and dependable connectivity for every household in the state,” the report says. “This ongoing commitment is paramount in bridging the digital divide and promoting equitable access to educational resources. This will be an even larger issue in the future with the Affordable Connectivity Program which had 900,000 homes participate in North Carolina, according to USAC, no longer available.”
