TESTIMONY
Jumaane Williams, NYC Public Advocate, on the Impact of COVID-19 on Education and the Ensuing Digital Divide
0:21:45
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3 min
NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams discusses the significant disruption in learning caused by COVID-19, focusing on the transition to virtual learning and the deepening of digital divide.
- Calls attention to the historic disruption experienced by over 1 million NYC students transitioning to remote learning due to COVID-19.
- Stresses the exacerbation of educational inequities, particularly affecting low-income students, students with disabilities, and English Language Learners.
- Acknowledges the city's efforts in distributing electronic devices but points to persistent challenges in access and technical support.
- Raises concerns over increased chronic absenteeism and the difficulty of re-engaging students post-pandemic.
- Highlights technical failures during a snow day and the absence of a chief information officer, calling for better preparedness and accountability.
Jumaane Williams
0:21:45
Thank you so much, madam chair.
0:21:47
I appreciate it.
0:21:48
As mentioned, my name is Jermaine Williams, a public advocate of City of New York.
0:21:51
I wanna thank chair Joseph for the members of the community of education for holding.
0:21:54
This is important.
0:21:55
Hearing in New York City Public Schools for being here.
0:21:58
This is the my opening statement.
0:22:00
In 2020, New York City students experienced an unprecedented disruption in their learning due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
0:22:06
For the first time, the cities over 1,000,000 students had to switch to virtual learning, and while this was necessary to slow the spread of COVID, we are still feeling the effects today.
0:22:14
The southern dependence on technology to access school deepened education inequities already present in our schools with low income students students with disabilities, ELL students, the students with temporary housing are the most impacted.
0:22:26
These expirations are not unique to NYC, a report released last year by unesco's United Nations Education and Culturalization.
0:22:34
Finally, there was a worldwide problem.
0:22:36
The disparity between those who have access to the internet and those who do not known as a digital divide existed long before the pandemic, but was laid, especially bear when I determined which kids were able to go to school.
0:22:46
First, I wanna applaud the city for providing 100 1000 iPads and other electronic devices, the students who needed them during remote learning.
0:22:52
The pandemic forces addressed the fact that access to the Internet and electronic devices have become an integral part of students education, and New York City Public Schools now has a reserve of iPads and Chromebooks to distribute to students who need them.
0:23:05
Sale many students went weeks or months with our access to an electronic device or broadband connection during the pandemic.
0:23:10
And troubleshooting technological issues are particularly difficult families who do not speak English or have limited English proficiency.
0:23:17
Many students did not attend school at all for long periods of time during remote learning and chronic absenteeism has been elevated since the switch to remote learning for the 2020 to 2021 school year, the rate of chronic absenteeism was 41%.
0:23:29
And while that number has come down, it remains above rates pride the pandemic.
0:23:33
This cannot be entirely attributed to the way the city handled remote learning.
0:23:36
Many schools struggling with trauma experienced the pandemic and the transition from being isolated in their homes to return to school is challenging.
0:23:43
Students who lost connection during the pandemic, it can be difficult to reengage them.
0:23:47
Many students have been discouraged or left behind, particularly students with disabilities who did not receive all the compensatory services to which they were entitled to commercial learning and ELL students.
0:23:56
Who were doubly isolated both by classroom, school closures, and by language barriers.
0:24:00
In 2020, then made the blah blah blah blah.
0:24:02
They announced that students would have a virtual learning days in lieu of snow days.
0:24:05
Policy that mayor Eric Adams has continued due to the increased number of holidays on the school calendar.
0:24:10
However, when the school experienced heavy snowfall last month, and students were instructed to log in to school at home, has some crash leaving many students, and teachers unable to loop log in to Zoom, go classroom school, email accounts, and even tennis tracking tools.
0:24:24
Of course, it is concerning to me and many New Yorkers that prior to the snow day issues, New York City Public Schools did not have a permanent chief information officer for months.
0:24:33
While one day loss, the technical difficulties is not the end of the world, COVID has told us that we need to be prepared to provide our students with the best possible education in any circumstances I do wanna say I just wanna say thank you again to the chancellor who were at least accepted that something went wrong, and admitted that and said they have to do different.
0:24:52
I wish more people within the administration would do that.
0:24:54
I think it will help conversation go a long way.
0:24:57
But even to that, I think some of the explanations left a lot to be designed, and I'm hoping we can get some more answers to what happened during this hearing.
0:25:04
Thank you.