CU-Boulder undergraduate student Balkarn (Kern) Shahi is taking his knowledge of digital and information systems back to his hometown in Lafayette, Colorado, to help close the 鈥渄igital divide鈥� and other educational opportunity gaps for low-income students.
According to the 2013 census, one in four Americans does not have internet access at home, and those with the lowest median income rates are most affected. The digital divide problem in Lafayette puts low-income students at a disadvantage, a reality that hit close to home for Kern, who grew up in Lafayette and attended local public schools.
鈥淲hen I was a senior at Centaurus High School, and people started applying to universities and for scholarships and grants, two of my friends came to my house to use our internet because they didn鈥檛 have it,鈥� said Kern. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥榊o, just come over!鈥� We stayed awake until 1 or 2 in the morning applying to schools, FAFSA and everything. Then I got to CU and realized everyone here has access to the internet. I thought, 鈥榃ow, this is a serious issue about lack of opportunity and equity.鈥欌��
Kern, a junior majoring in information systems and finance and a , is strategically focused on bridging the digital divide for elementary school students at Alicia Sanchez Elementary School in Lafayette, a small neighborhood school serving some of the poorest neighborhoods in Boulder County.
鈥淲e are focusing our program,听, on addressing the digital divide at the elementary school level, because it鈥檚 one concrete way to help close the achievement gap," said Kern. "Many of these students have never used a mouse, they don鈥檛 know how to work a computer. Their school testing now is all online and this is affecting their scores."
Eighty-three percent of students at Alicia Sanchez qualify for free and reduced lunch, and 60 percent of students are from the Latino community. Many of these students are at a disadvantage in school because they do not have access to the internet at home.
鈥淲ithout access to a device or Internet at home, our students are not able to practice at home the skills being presented at school," said Lora De La Cruz, principal at Alicia Sanchez Elementary. "The digital divide is part of an opportunity gap, a homework gap and a learning gap. In order to close our achievement gap, we need to close our digital divide.鈥�
Many Sanchez students also have older siblings at Centaurus high school, where 110 students 鈥� 10 percent 鈥� don鈥檛 have internet access at home. By focusing on the individual households with kids attending Alicia Sanchez Elementary, Kern believes his program will help high school students, too.
According to a recent article in the , many educators are pushing for students to use resources on the internet to complete class work and turn in assignments. 鈥淭he federal government is now grappling with a stark disparity in access to technology, between students who have high-speed Internet at home and an estimated听five million families who are without it and who are struggling to keep up,鈥� the article states.
Boulder Valley School District now offers each student a Chromebook to take home and to keep after graduation.
鈥淚n Boulder County, devices aren鈥檛 an issue, but having internet access is,鈥� said Kern.
Kern鈥檚 participation in the Puksta Scholars Program at CU-Boulder has enabled him to devote his time and energy to the ConnectMe project. A program of CU Engage, the Puksta scholarship funds more than a dozen CU Boulder students each year to create and carry out multi-year community engagement projects that address complex public problems.
ConnectME is collaborating with the Boulder Valley School District IT Department, school officials from Alicia Sanchez Elementary, Lafayette City Council Members and internet service providers Comcast and CenturyLink. The Connect ME program 鈥� which stands for 鈥淐onnect My Education鈥� 鈥� also receives support from the Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette.
"Although we are focused on reaching elementary students at Sanchez, the digital divide is not just an issue for students, it鈥檚 also for families," said Kern. "For example, even applying for health care is now online. But students are the ones getting seriously hurt because their classmates have access and they don鈥檛, which is a big problem contributing to the opportunity gap.鈥�
Kern says he always knew he wanted to go to CU-Boulder, as both of his older sisters are alums.
鈥淏ut the main reason I鈥檓 doing this project is because it hit me close,鈥� he said. 鈥淕rowing up in Lafayette, lots of my friends had this issue. I look back and think, 鈥榃ow, I wouldn鈥檛 be where I am if I didn鈥檛 have internet.鈥欌��
By Jennifer Ciplet,听CU Engage Manager of Communications
