Education and civic leaders, community organizations, thought leaders and policymakers will gather Wednesday, June 5, at a conference at UCLA to explore the development of a ‘partnership framework’ to lessen the digital divide that separates too many members of the Los Angeles community from essential educational, economic and social opportunities. The conference will begin at 8.30 a.m. Wednesday, June 5 at the Luskin Conference Center at UCLA.
The conference is a project of the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools and the California Emerging Technology Fund, with participation from a range of civic and community organizations. Los Angeles Unified School District Board President Mónica García and LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner are scheduled to participate. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will address the gathering via video message.
“Our focus is always on equity. With the expansion of the high tech sector in Los Angeles we have an opportunity to create high wage jobs for young people in communities that have historically been left out and marginalized, says Pedro Noguera, UCLA Distinguished Professor and founder of the Center for the Transformation of Schools. “Our convening will give education and civic leaders a chance to have constructive dialogue with business leaders about how to achieve this goal.”
In 2017, the Social Science Research Council published a portrait of Los Angeles County making clear stark differences in the quality of life for residents of the region. Closely correlated with geography, race and ethnicity, the report shows that in critical areas such as education, health and income, serious inequities limit access to opportunity, furthering deeply entrenched social and economic disparities.
These inequities are made worse by a lack of access to the Internet and technologythat prevents many residents in the poorest communities from fully participating in our community and digital world. According to research published earlier this year by the California Emerging Technologies Fund, the largest percentage of households that are unconnected or underconnected to the Internet are in Los Angeles County[1]. And, research published in 2017 by the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC, the least connected communities are located in South Los Angeles,[2]which comprises an area characterized by high rates of poverty. The lack of Internet access is both a result and a contributing factor to the poverty cycle that limits opportunities for social mobility in these communities. The lack of access furthers the disadvantages low income children face in pursuit of learning and preparation for success in college and careers, and limits the ability of adults to apply for jobs, access public services, communicate with their children’s teachers, and pursue their own education.
The Conference, Mobilizing Communities for Leadership in theHigh-Tech Sector in the Los Angeles Region:Transforming Schools and Neighborhoods through Digital Inclusion,envisions the development of a “Partnership Framework” for changing systems to increase digital access and achieve improved educational, social and economic outcomes. Participants will explore possibilities for developing strong and sustainable partnerships among education, local government and employers to address systemic issues related to inequality in the Los Angeles Region. Participants will also identify existing efforts and discuss new ideas to strengthen regional strategies to increase digital access and participation. Finding ways to strengthen efforts that promote the development of educational and professional pathways in the high tech sector and emerging industries for low-income youth and families will also be discussed.
In addition to Mayor Garcetti, García, and Beutner, featured speakers include Manuel Pastor, USC Professor of American Studies & Ethnicity; Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Community College Chancellor; Kamau Bobb, Founding Senior Director of the Constellations Center for Equity in Computing; Oscar Menjivar, CEO, Teens Exploring Technology; Jaime Casap, Google Education Evangelist; JR DeShazo, UCLA Professor of Public Policy; Gary Segura, Dean, UCLA Luskin School of Public Policy; and Heather Hiles, CEO and President, California Online Community College District. Professor Noguera and Sunne Wright McPeak, President and CEO, of the California Emerging Technology Fund, will speak and help to moderate the event.