It’s hard to believe that we have been living through a global pandemic for the past seven months (almost eight). I can remember thinking in March that we would be back to normal in two weeks, and then in April thinking we just needed to get past the summer.
Now, here we are, a few months into a new school year and “normal” seems to be an obsolete word. The past several months have been difficult for all of us.
For some, social distancing and staying at home have been trying at best. For others, wearing a mask seems unbearable. For me, becoming my daughters’ teacher was by far the hardest (and that’s coming from an educator). It was difficult to keep my girls focused on their work and even harder to track their assignments in a virtual world. I’m sure if you have children of your own, you would agree that NTI (Non Traditional Instruction) was a daunting task.
Stacie Strotman
Can you imagine NTI without a device (computer, iPad or tablet)? And can you imagine how difficult it would be without Wi-Fi? This is the reality for over 1,200 students in Covington Schools, approximately one-third of our population. We knew that our students and families had significant barriers to learning, but the transition to NTI increased those barriers—and for some students, completing a Google assignment was and continues to be impossible.
Research tells us that students who live in high poverty areas are more likely to experience a “summer slide” (a loss of learning) during June, July and August. With the pandemic, school closures, NTI, and a multitude of barriers, students are now experiencing a “COVID-19 learning loss” in addition to the typical summer slide.
The gap that we try so hard to eliminate continues to grow between students who live with an abundance of opportunities and those who live in high poverty communities. Wi-Fi has become a necessity and shines a bright light on another issue of equity.
In partnership with Covington Independent Public Schools, United Way, Cincinnati Bell, and the City of Covington, Covington Partners is coordinating the distribution of free Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi hotspots to our students and families in need. To date, over 1000 students have been granted Wi-Fi access through one of the aforementioned initiatives.
Through the generosity of Covington Independent Public Schools, every student in grades 3-12 will have a device. This is the definition of collaboration and the type of work that is needed to eliminate disparities.
But your help is still needed. We will continue to serve our students in a hybrid format until further notice, meaning all students will have to do part, if not all, of their work virtually. We will continue to offer academic assistance both virtually and in-person through our out-of-school time programming. We will continue to support students through the Covington Partners Mentoring Program, which has shifted to a completely virtual model in response to the pandemic.
If you would like to help support these efforts, please consider:
• Donating to the Covington Partners Operation: MVP initiative – Click here to make a donation for individual supply kits for students
• Donating to the United Way Wi-Fi initiative – Text “NKYWIFI” to 71777 to make a donation ($78 for six months; $156 for 12 months of service)
• Signing up to become a mentor with the Covington Partners Mentoring Program
–Click here to learn more and to download an application.
Stacie Strotman is executive director of Covington Partners.
