Washington Earns National Recognition for Advancements in Digital Equity
Learning digital skills is about much more than being able to use a computer.
“It’s being a citizen of the state and a citizen of the world,” said Bre Urness-Straight, Director of Educational Technology at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). “As we’re looking at the preparation of our graduates and we’re talking about career-connected learning, all of those intersect with technology in a way that is empowering and provides the opportunity to succeed for everyone.”
Education leaders across Washington are working to ensure that students have the skills that will create these opportunities, and that work has contributed to the state earning recognition at the national level. Washington has achieved a perfect score on the State Digital Equity Scorecard, making it the only state in the U.S. to earn the distinction.
The Scorecard was launched in the summer of 2021 by the National Skills Coalition, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, and Microsoft. It scores states on six criteria:
- The collection and dissemination of data on digital skill needs
- The development of a comprehensive plan to address digital skill gaps
- The availability of free, online digital skills training
- Funding dedicated to train incumbent workers
- The availability of technology apprenticeships
- Specific goals to increase broadband access
Washington earned a perfect score at the 2021 launch of the Scorecard, and retained that perfect score when the Scorecard was last updated in the summer of 2022.
Along with partners, OSPI is engaged in several efforts to promote digital equity and inclusion, including supporting technology apprenticeships. One such apprenticeship trains Wenatchee School District students to become computer technicians.
Technology Apprenticeships in Washington
The Computer Technician I registered youth apprenticeship teaches students about networking, security systems, hardware repair, and more. Jacob Bucholz, Career and Technical Education Director for the school district, said the program also builds students’ skills in working with customers.
“We teach them how to go through that troubleshooting process and [ask] a series of questions to interact with somebody and help put them at ease,” Bucholz said. “A lot of times, people are highly stressed when something’s not working the way that it’s supposed to.”
The Wenatchee School District has been approved to operate the apprenticeship program since 2018, making it the first such program in the state to be administered by a school district. Along with coursework, the apprenticeship requires 2,000 hours of on-the-job training over the course of two years.
Student apprentices work one-on-one with a mentor to gain work experience in the field, said Susan Adams, Managing Director of Skillsource, the nonprofit job training organization that partners with the Wenatchee School District’s apprenticeship program.
“Each of these individual apprentices have a journeyman that is working with them,” Adams said. “They’re learning firsthand from somebody in the industry, and they’re learning skills that are relevant right now.”
Bucholz, who has worked for the school district for 18 years, said that the apprenticeship program provides an opportunity for students and the community to engage with each other.
“Young people crave the opportunity to interact in a meaningful way,” Bucholz said. “This is a great opportunity for that. It puts them in situations where they’re solving real problems that people are experiencing. … It allows our community to see them as problem-solvers.”
Technology apprenticeship programs like the one in Wenatchee also expose students to career options, Adams said.
“These are living wage jobs with excellent benefits that they have started a career in,” Adams said. “I really think they’re just going to continue to move up the ladder within their profession.”
Additional Digital Equity Efforts
Washington’s education leaders are also working to expand access to reliable internet, integrate technology into classrooms, and teach digital skills and media literacy.
Urness-Straight said that access to reliable internet and the devices that connect to it is critical. Small towns and rural areas in Washington, she added, face unique access challenges, which poses a challenge to digital equity.
With support from state funding and federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) dollars, OSPI was able to focus on providing a computer or other device to all Washington students and teachers. This supported students and families in accessing education content and health information from home during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have really focused and done our diligence in supporting those small, rural [school] districts in accessing funds both at the state and at the federal level, and providing the guidance and support that they’ve needed in order to get those funds,” Urness-Straight said.
When instruction takes place in person, Urness-Straight emphasized the importance of integrating technology into the classroom to make content accessible for all students. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practices, as well as assistive and adaptive technologies, support learning for students both with and without disabilities, she said.
Many of these practices and technologies have been in use since before the pandemic, but Urness-Straight said that learning from home amplified their importance.
“That’s the question: How do we harness what it is that we learned and carry that forward, [and] keep the good things about being in person but also keep the good things about being remote?” Urness-Straight said. “For some, there were some really powerful things about being remote.”
Access to technology is proving to be the key to success.
“We have seen exponentially within the time of the pandemic that having the skills, having the devices, and having the connectivity are the trifecta of success, both of students but also of remote workers and workers in general,” Urness-Straight said. “As we’re looking at those pieces, if any one of those things is missing, then there’s inequity of access.”
Further Information
This story was written by Chelsea Embree, Communications Strategist at OSPI. You can contact the Communications Team at commteam@k12.wa.us.
