DIGITAL
EQUITY
TOOLKIT
Resources to Help Connecticut Communities
Ensure Access for Every Learner
A Publication of the

Version 1.0 — December 28, 2017

 Introduction
This document provides a set of
recommended steps and resources to
help communities get students of all
ages online outside of school, with
access to high-quality devices and the
skills to make the best use of these
learning tools. Even as schools, libraries,
and universities increasingly leverage
the power of technology to support
teaching and learning, many students
do not have access to the devices,
broadband, or training they need to
learn.
Connecticut has some of the bestconnected schools in the nationi, and
over the past few years, our Governor
has provided $30 M in funds to support
technology in public school districts. An

However, the most recent U.S. Census
data show that 15 percent of

Connecticut homes and 8 percent of
residents under the age of 18 do not
have a broadband connection. ii
Nationwide, approximately 17 percent
of homes with school-age children do
not have access to broadband iii, a
serious problem when 65 percent of
students need online access and a

Offline Public School Students

CT Technology Investments
dependable device to complete their
homework. iv And this digital divide

further contributes to the existing
achievement gaps along racial and
socioeconomic lines. Across the
country and certainly in Connecticut,
the percentages of “disconnected”
individuals concentrate among the
poor, minority, and elderly populations.

estimated 58 percent of middle schools
and 71 percent of high schools have
adopted 1:1 computing programs,
providing a school-issued device to
every student. Many schools are
adopting online learning tools and
practices such as blended and masterybased learning, making technology part
of the everyday fabric of our schools.
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Communities can help close the digital
gap in opportunity by using the ideas in
this Toolkit to provide access to
technology and encourage its
meaningful use for learning. This guide
stems from local, state, and national
research in promising practices and
rests on several underlying assumptions:

 EQUITY PROGRAM CONSIDERATIONS
Community
Challenge

Multiple
Fronts

Local
Context

Compound
Benefits

A Menu,
Not a
Formula

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Closing the digital divide at scale requires planning, coordination,
and engagement at the community level, rather than leaving
students and families to figure out how to connect.

For learners of all ages to make use of the full range of educational
resources — research platforms, learning-management systems,
online training, e-books, etc. — requires four key components: a
highly functional computing device; dependable and robust
broadband connectivity; technical support; and digital literacy skills
to enable research, collaboration, content creation, and protection
of personal information.
Addressing digital equity issues must take into account the
community’s assets and constraints, including cost and availability
of service; resources already offered by anchor institutions and
businesses; local, state, and federal funding; and geography.
Because these factors can vary by location, the solutions outlined
in this Toolkit will often look different across communities.
The benefits of connecting learners go beyond helping individuals
to strengthening entire families and communities. For example,
connecting a home often leads to students and parents teaching
each other how to use online resources, as well as stronger parent
connections to their children’s schools, an important component in
student success.
The outlines and resources below serve as a Toolkit, not a
prescriptive formula for communities to follow. Consider all of the
ideas presented before designing a plan, and revisit your plan on a
regular basis. For example, measuring device, broadband, and
training needs may not have to come before you identify and share
existing connectivity resources with your community.

 Identify Leaders and Stakeholders
Communities should start by considering
the team of participants to plan the
work of getting learners online. Doing so
taps the insights and networks of leaders

who can define the local context of
connecting students. Consider enlisting
engaged representatives from the
following groups and organizations:

Adult and Continuing Education Centers
Business Leaders (Especially Technology Companies)
Chambers of Commerce
Churches and Other Faith-Based Organizations
Colleges and Universities
Hospitals
Housing Authorities
K – 12 School District
Local Government
Local Internet Service Providers
Non-Profit Organizations
Parent-Teacher Associations
Public Library
Shopping Malls
Social Services Departments
State Legislators
Workforce Development Centers
YMCA, YWCA, JCC, and Other Community Centers

The above list includes organizations
already invested in education (e.g.,
local district and board of education,
library, community college). Also
consider engaging leaders from other
parts of the community, including
private businesses and anchor
institutions to leverage the full capacity
of your city and town. For example,
local technology companies may have
a strong passion for equipping students
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with college and career skills that would
lead them to sponsor a mobile hotspot
loan program through the local schools
or libraries. Businesses and hospitals
might have older computers to give
away or sell at low cost to individuals
and families. Having multiple voices at
the table in planning and problemsolving can often reveal untapped
resources that would benefit all learners
in the community.

 Engaging with a variety of
organizations also helps ensure that
any programs and initiatives
undertaken address the needs of a
diversity of sub-groups within a city
or town.
As part of the request to become
involved in a digital equity initiative, ask
potential participants about their
interests in getting students online and
equipped to make use of digital
resources. These conversations may
help identify underserved individuals,
existing resources, and specific areas of
concern. Those engaging in an equity

program should consider the scope of
their involvement, from one-time
information sharing to ongoing
involvement in the form of designing
governance structures and ensuring
successful operations. Initial discussions
should also help create an inventory of
existing initiatives, such as low-cost
residential broadband, digital “study
hours” at the
YMCA, digital
literacy courses
offered through the
local library, and
used computer
donations.

Measure the Need
Virtually every city and town has
students who do not have the device
and connectivity resources they need
to take full advantage of digital learning
resources. Designing and using a survey
can help identify and address the needs
of these learners. Well-designed and
simple-to-use questionnaires can help
pinpoint the financial, logistical, and
even attitudinal barriers to connecting
learners. Having data that point to

specific needs provides a baseline
for addressing these challenges. This
information should also inform the
development of, or changes to, digital
equity programs.

Surveys can help uncover these needs
along with general attitudes and
perceptions of technology. Any
organization with a membership or
enrollment list (e.g., K – 12 districts, library
card holders, YMCA members) can ask
those contacts about their device and

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connectivity needs. Districts and other
organizations can consider including a
brief survey on an annual basis at the
time of class registration or enrollment.
They should also gather device and

connectivity needs from teachers,
who need off-site access to digital
resources to support their students.

Survey questions
and format can
vary based on a
community’s
resources. As
mentioned above,
school districts can
include
questionnaires
with “back-to-school” packets or
through online registration tools such as
InfoSnap. They can even push out brief
questionnaires through school district
apps that do not require a broadband
connection to use. Additionally, brief

 in-person surveys at locations such as
library circulation desks and town halls
or conducted as part of parent-teacher
conferences can provide useful
feedback. Communities with volunteer
or other resources could even conduct
phone interviews to a sample of
residents by neighborhood.
The ideal survey would gather enough
data to help make informed decisions
about the learning community’s needs
without becoming so lengthy and time
consuming that people do not respond
or leave the questionnaire incomplete.
Communities may design different
survey instruments for different venues
and audiences, with short in-person or
telephone forms and longer online or
written questionnaires. The design
should also take into account
messaging around the survey,
encouraging students and families to
complete the form as an incentive to
support the development of programs
around digital equity.
In addition to formal surveys, consider
research into existing data sources. For
example, schools that send home
computers with students can review logs
of off-site usage. Students who show
little or no history of completing
assignments outside of school may not
have the connectivity they need to do
so. School administrators can
encourage teachers to identify students
who do not engage in online homework
(e.g., watching instructional videos,
participating in collaborative exercises
with peers, etc.). They can also conduct
internal surveys of teachers (K – 12) and
professors (higher education) to
determine the degree to which
educators assign work outside of school
that requires broadband-enabled
devices.

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Commercial Internet providers may also
assist with identifying underserved
populations or neighborhoods. These
companies may be willing to share
information about gaps in coverage by
location to help identify areas of need.
In terms of survey design, communities
do not need to create their own tools
completely from scratch. Some of the
excellent examples below also include
historical survey data results and analysis
tools to help understand and act upon
responses.

JUMPSTART YOUR EQUITY SURVEY
The resources below will help you
design a survey to measure Internet
access and attitudes of your
constituents:
 Consortium for School Network
(CoSN) Digital Equity Action Toolkit:
Requires registration, with sample
questions on pages
20 – 24.
 Institute of Museum and Library
Services Digital Inclusion Survey:
Includes questions, response data
sets, and detailed community
profiles.
 Project Tomorrow Speak Up Survey:
Turnkey program for schools to
promote among families, with
detailed reporting at the school and
district levels.
 U.S. Census Bureau Computer and
Internet Use: Survey questions and
data tables searchable by year and
ZIP code.

 Leverage Existing Resources
While data collection can help pinpoint
specific needs based on geography,
age, education level, and other factors,
communities do not need to wait for
these results to begin communicating
the availability of existing digital equity
resources. The tools and programs listed
below include national and regional
programs. Local communities may

already address access needs through
the loaning of wireless hotspots from
schools and libraries, sale of low-cost
computers, and other initiatives. Again,
having a diverse team of participants to
address digital equity as a community
will help to identify a list of existing
resources.

Broadband and Devices
Many commercial providers offer lowcost connectivity plans and devices to
qualifying residents, though availability
of the programs below varies by city
and town. The national EveryoneOn site
can help identify these programs based
on ZIP code, and communities can
engage directly with their local carriers

to identify options for students and other
qualifying residents (recipients of
Medicaid, NSLP, SNAP, etc.). Some of
the programs below address specific K –
12 connectivity and content-filtering
needs and require the support and
engagement of local school districts.

SEARCH ENGINES
 Digital Wish: Fundraising tools, search engine of low-cost wireless programs, and
grants to provide wireless hotspots to schools.
 EveryoneOn: Searchable list of broadband and device programs by ZIP, with a
Knowledge Center to support digital, financial, and other literacy training.
HOME INTERNET AND DEVICES
 Comcast Internet Essentials: Low-cost broadband, refurbished computers, and
digital literacy training.
 Cox Communications Connect2Compete: Low-cost Internet as well as online
training and literacy resources.
 Frontier Lifeline Program: As a federal Lifeline provider, offering low-cost broadband
to qualifying residents.
 Lifeline: Federal program expanded in recent years to provide cost offsets for
broadband service to qualifying applicants.

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 K – 12 WIRELESS PROGRAMS
 Kajeet: Provider of wireless hotspots for students to use for out-of-school learning
as well as connectivity solutions for school busses.
 Sprint 1 Million Program: Initiative to provide free Internet-enabled smart phones
and tablets to students.
 T-Mobile EmpowerED Program: Provides off-campus devices and data plans to
students at eligible schools and districts.

Digital Literacy
In addition to devices and broadband,
students and families need the skills to
leverage online research and learning
resources. In addition to the instructional
components in the programs listed
above, the following resources provide
details about digital and information
literacy courses, curricula, and tools for
educators and learners.

 Common Sense Media: Extensive library of resources and curriculum addressing
digital citizenship, digital teaching, and privacy, geared toward the K – 12 community
but useful for all ages.
 DigitalLearn: Collection of self-directed tutorials for end-users to increase their
digital literacy, from basic computer skills to protecting personal information.
Libraries can customize and white-label the collection for their local community’s
needs.
 Local Libraries: Most town libraries offer courses in computer and digital literacy,
covering topics from navigating the Web and e-mail to cyber security and even
programming.

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 Other Options
In addition to the programs and
resources mentioned above, some

communities may have interest in
exploring other connectivity solutions.

 Network Locators: A number of Web sites and mobile apps
provide information on nearby wireless networks. Students
can leverage these tools to find a nearby location to get
online outside of school. Examples include OpenSignal, WiFi
Free Spot, and Wi-Fi Space.
 Public Transportation and School Busses: Some cities and
towns have purchased mobile broadband hotspots for public
and school busses. Given that some students can spend an
hour or more to and from school each day, connecting them
in transit extends the school day by providing them with an
opportunity to continue learning online. Some studies also
reveal secondary benefits from such initiatives, such as a
reduction in discipline incidents on school busses.
 Outdoor Broadband: Communities with their own fiber
networks may consider offering wireless access from public
lights, telephone poles, and other easily accessible points of
distribution. Piloting such initiatives in highly populated,
downtown areas may inform plans to expand the network
into other areas.
 Mesh Networking: Communities can create decentralized,
interconnected networks shared by schools, libraries,
hospitals, businesses, and other local institutions.
Proprietary solutions exist from many of the major wireless
networking providers, as do open-source technologies from
groups such as Commotion Wireless.

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 Additional Resources
In addition to the resources mentioned above, the following organizations and
initiatives may help with aspects of data gathering, community outreach, program
design, and operations.

 Next Century Cities: Provides community-based broadband solutions to support
education, economic development, and open markets.
 National Digital Inclusion Alliance: Develops and shares financial and operational
resources for digital inclusion programs while serving as a bridge to policymakers
and the general public.
 Schools, Health, and Broadband (SHLB) Coalition: Promotes policies and programs
that enable schools, libraries, health care providers, and other anchor institutions to
obtain open, affordable, high-speed broadband connections to the Internet.

Your Feedback
As you address the digital divide in your town or city, please send us
your own case studies, challenges, and successes (e-mail
doug.casey@ct.gov) so that we can strengthen this Toolkit and
share lessons learned and best practices to help other communities.

Acknowledgements
This toolkit stemmed from the ideas of many local and national digital equity
advocates. We thank the members of the Commission’s Infrastructure Advisory Council
for their input, especially in identifying digital equity as a community-based challenge:
●
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Colleen Bailie, West Haven Public Library
Tom Dillon, Flagship Networks
Fred Kass, Trinity College
Kerri Kearney, Manchester Public Schools
Bethany Silver, Bloomfield Public Schools
Bill Vallee, Connecticut State Broadband Office
Rob Wilson, Somers Public Schools

This document also benefitted significantly from the ideas, organization, and case
studies shared in the CoSN Digital Equity Toolkit.

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 About the Commission
The Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology was established in 2000 by
Public Act 00-187 to serve as the State’s educational technology policy advisor and
includes the following members:
Name and Position
Mark Raymond, CIO, Chairman

Representing or Appointed By
Department of Administrative Services

Catherine Smith, Commissioner

Department of Economic and Community
Development

Michael Mundrane, CIO

University of Connecticut

Ken Wiggin, State Librarian

Connecticut State Library

Ellen Cohn, Deputy Commissioner

Connecticut State Department of
Education
CT Board of Regents for Higher Education

Scott Zak, Senior Director of Learning
Technologies
John Vittner, Director of Information
Technology Policy
Bill Vallee, State Broadband Policy and
Program Coordinator
Jennifer Widness, President

Office of Policy and Management

Nick Caruso, Senior Staff Associate

CT Association of Boards of Education

Scott Shanley, General Manager,
Town of Manchester

CT Conference of Municipalities

John Elsesser, Town Manager,
Town of Coventry

CT Council of Small Towns

Colleen Bailie, Director,
West Haven Public Library

CT Library Association

Bart Stanco, Vice President, Gartner

Governor's Office

Russell Feinmark, CT General Assembly

Speaker of the House

Rich Mavrogeanes, President,
Discover Video

President Pro Tem of the Senate

Charles Dumais, Superintendent, Region
5 (Amity) Public Schools

Governor's Office

Tom Dillon, Founder, Flagship Networks

Minority Leader of the House

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Office of Consumer Counsel
CT Conference of Independent Colleges

 Notes
Especially for K – 12 public education, with high-speed broadband connections to every district
in the state (see Education SuperHighway State Progress Report, http://bit.ly/ESH-CT.
ii US Census Bureau. "American Community Survey (ACS)." 2016 Types of Computers and Internet
Subscriptions. Accessed September 19, 2017. https://www.census.gov/programssurveys/acs/data.html.
iii Horrigan, John B. “The Numbers behind the Broadband ‘Homework Gap.’” Pew Research
Center, 20 Apr. 2015, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/20/the-numbers-behind-thebroadband-homework-gap/.
iv Horrigan, John, Ph.D. "Broadband Adoption and Use in America." FCC OBI Working Paper
Series Number 1, February 23, 2010. February 23, 2010. Accessed September 19, 2017.
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-296442A1.pdf.
i

Contact
Doug Casey
Executive Director
Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology
55 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, CT 06105
(860) 539-3013
doug.casey@ct.gov
www.CT.gov/CTEdTech
@CTEdTEch

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