The Chicago school district plans to distribute more than 100,000 devices to families as part of its effort to provide remote instruction to students who must stay at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"While this plan will not replace the classroom learning experience or completely bridge the digital divide that exists in our city, it is a full-throttle effort from the district to empower our educators and provide them with the resources they need to engage students in high-quality learning opportunities while schools are closed," district Chief Executive Officer Janice Jackson and Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade said in a letter to families.
The school system's remote learning program is set to begin on April 13, following what had already been scheduled as the district's spring break.
The district says it will be distributing 65,000 school-based Chromebooks, laptops and iPads; 37,000 new devices; and additional devices through potential philanthropic contributions. It will look at socioeconomic data and hardship indicators, and work in close collaboration with school principals to determine who should receive a device.
"In total, we will distribute more than 100,000 devices to families in the weeks ahead to ensure our students have significantly more access to electronic learning resources," the letter says.
The remote instruction plan will provide students with both digital and non-digital learning options, as well as dedicated “office hours,” during which students and families can receive support from teachers via Google Meet, phone, or email.
Students will be expected to complete assignments and schools will be able to grade work, but grades will be counted only if they improve a student’s grade and will not negatively affect any student’s academic standing, the district says.
Students who do not engage in academic work can be issued an incomplete and will be expected to make up incomplete assignments following the remote learning period.
"The road ahead is uncharted territory for all of us, but we could not ask for a more dedicated and talented group of educators to stand beside as we blaze this new trail," Jackson and McDade say. "We are fully prepared to support our principals and educators as they make plans to educate our students remotely, and we are confident our remote learning plan provides the framework and tools for our teachers to succeed."
