Cara McClellan Discusses Barriers to Access Students of Color Face in the Online Learning Environment and NAACP Efforts to Expand At-Home Internet Connectivity

Cara McClellan (‘17), Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, was quoted in Education Week regarding gaps in access to virtual learning threatening to widen existing disparities in education that leave poor students and students of color at a disproportionate disadvantage (“Laptop Delays, Zoom Glitches, Equity Gaps: Remote Learning Faces Big Challenges,” Aug. 24). “The school house and the school bus are now a computer and Wi-Fi. In some districts, we’re talking about a third of Black students who are not able to access their education. This is clearly in line with our school desegregation work.” Regarding the NAACP’s outreach to 20 internet service providers in areas that serve large numbers of people of color, urging them to offer free Internet access and expand broadband infrastructure, Cara said, “This is obviously one thing they can concretely do that would have a huge impact on the ongoing institutional inequalities based on race.”
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