{"id":2997,"date":"2020-06-12T15:20:31","date_gmt":"2020-06-12T15:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=2997"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:52:39","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:52:39","slug":"schools-spend-7-8-million-to-gear-up-for-digital-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/06\/12\/schools-spend-7-8-million-to-gear-up-for-digital-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Schools spend $7.8 million to gear up for digital learning"},"content":{"rendered":"
When the school day ended on March 13, Durham teachers and staff packed their bags, turned off lights and locked doors as if it was any other weekend. <\/span> Uncertain what the start of the new school year will look like, Superintendent Pascal Mubenga knows one thing for sure: Every student will participate in online learning. The district has purchased 20,016 new Chromebooks to make this goal possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that we have to aggressively attack the digital divide in our community,\u201d Mubenga said in a <\/span>press release<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Finding ways to expand access to digital learning is not a new conversation in the district. Durham has lagged slightly behind the average performance of North Carolina public schools on its supply of digital devices.<\/span><\/p>\n A <\/span>2018-2019 state report card<\/span><\/a> counted one digital device per 1.1 students in Durham schools, compared to a state average of one device per 0.9 students.<\/span> The district\u2019s <\/span>five-year strategic plan<\/span><\/a> calls for 100 percent of all \u201cteachers, leaders, and staff\u201d to use technology to advance student learning by 2023.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When schools closed due to coronavirus, that expedited the conversation to find a way to make sure every student in grades K-12 had access to a school computer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The price tag to purchase the Chromebooks and charging carts is <\/span>$7,848,357<\/span><\/a>. Board of Education members authorized these purchases unanimously at an emergency meeting on May 28.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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\n<\/span>Instead, it was an unplanned last day of school for students, one without celebrations or yearbook handouts. Efforts to control the spread of coronavirus shut down Durham\u2019s public schools for the rest of the year. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Although schools mailed or handed out <\/span>supplemental learning packets<\/span><\/a> to students, none of the work within was required. Final grades were awarded based on the coursework finished before March 13.<\/span><\/p>\n