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How Can We Close the Digital Learning Gap This School Year?

Jean-Claude Brizard

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In the last week, I have spoken with many school superintendents and school leaders, each of them navigating the complexities of the new school year. There’s no question that educators at all levels are navigating uncharted waters, making the challenges of reopening last year seemingly easier than those of this year. There seems to be enough consensus that children need to be in school, that we need to address the social, emotional, and academic needs of all children, and that we need to keep our children and our educators safe. But what does that look like?

I am a father of four. My daughter is entering her third year of college, and I have three sons in elementary schools; my youngest starts first grade in a few weeks. I often say that I am living the entire education continuum. Last year, our children had amazing teachers who truly went the extra mile. We had one amazing teacher who found ways to fully engage our five-year-old in “Zoom class.” He hated seeing his friends on a screen but his teacher’s creativity won him over. I was in awe! As a former teacher who never had to deal with a pandemic, I can only imagine the stress and challenge of teaching a class virtually and in-person, at the same time.

Last year, my predecessor, Karen Cator outlined ways in which we can finally close the Digital Learning Gap. She wrote, “Equitable access to digital learning means that every student has a device and access to the internet regardless of location, allowing for critically important connections with teachers and peers, instant feedback on mathematical problem sets, the ability to research, ask questions, find answers and explanations, and so much more. Digital learning also strengthens each teacher’s ability to meet the needs of each student, regardless of whether they are in the classroom or at home.” As we enter the new school year, we must remember the purpose behind the need to close the Digital Learning Gap. It is about bringing powerful learning experiences to our students, especially those who have been historically marginalized.

An exemplar in this effort is our Verizon Innovative Learning Schools (VILS) program, generously supported by Verizon and now including more than 500 impacted schools. A few weeks ago, the VILS team published a guide to successful technology integration that highlights six elements for success that we’ve learned from working with the many schools in our networks. We hope to share these best practices and inform the work of many more school systems, as well as the work of state chiefs of education and governors as they plan to use unprecedented federal funding to close the digital divide.

There is another consideration that we must take into account when aiming to close the Digital Learning Gap. It’s one of adequate access to devices and the internet. New America published a report in June that shows while we’ve made substantial progress—among families with children ages 6 to 13, access to non-dial-up home internet service has increased from 64 percent in 2015 to 84 percent in 2021—we still have work to do. Even among families with computers and broadband internet access at home, a majority are “under-connected,” meaning that they report insufficient and unreliable access to the internet and internet-connecting devices.

Despite the challenges outlined above, or maybe because of the challenges, I am optimistic when it comes to the future of our education systems. I am seeing greater efforts in three areas:

  1. Better direct delivery of education services to students (academic and well-being), including better virtual coaching and support for educators (pedagogical supports and well-being);
  2. More systemic, more equity-focused, and more sustainable approaches; and
  3. Greater interest and investments at the edge of education innovation (e.g., artificial intelligence, the future of assessments, and leveraging block chain technology to facilitate the transitions from K-12 to higher education and the workforce).

Digital Promise will celebrate its 10-year anniversary this fall, and we’re thinking deeply about what our next 10 years of impact will look like. Working at the intersection of education research, practice, and innovation, we see the past and present and how we can improve learning in the future. Despite the challenges we face in education today, it all makes me hopeful.

Explore our blog and be sure to subscribe to our Action Report newsletter to follow our work this school year.

Authors

Jean-Claude Brizard

President and CEO

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Jean-Claude Brizard is president and CEO of Digital Promise, a global, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on shaping the future of learning and advancing equitable education systems by bridging solutions across research, practice, and technology. Under his leadership, Digital Promise has remained a trusted partner to school districts across the United States and education leaders around the world, providing research-based guidance on everything from instructional innovation to technology implementation. The organization also works closely with industry partners in the U.S. and internationally, helping them design and refine products grounded in learning science that genuinely improve outcomes for students and educators.

He is former deputy director and senior advisor in U.S. Programs at the Gates Foundation. He led the U.S. Program’s PK-16 Community Investment Team in their effort to more deeply understand a student’s journey from preschool through completion of a post-secondary credential. Mr. Brizard also led the Washington State education strategy focused on closing the racial and economic opportunity gaps in Washington State’s educational system as well as support the growth and sustainability of the public charter schools’ sector in the state.

The Carnegie Corporation of New York honored him in the 2023 class of “Great Immigrants, Great Americans,” a prestigious honor celebrating naturalized citizens who have enriched and strengthened our society. He received the distinguished Aspen Institute 2024 John P. McNulty Prize for his work with Anseye Pou Ayiti. The award recognizes courageous leaders tackling critical issues, from environmental injustice and disaster recovery to addressing a national crisis of leadership and education.

Mr. Brizard was a partner at FourPoint Education Group (formerly Cross & Joftus, LLC) where he was focused on two practice areas—a unique collaborative structure that supported the work of many state departments of education and public school districts as they sought to turnaround chronically failing school systems as well as a practice area focused on education to career.

In 2013, Mr. Brizard served as advisor to the leadership of the College Board developing the organization’s career readiness initiative. This engagement culminated in a strategic plan for integrating career readiness into the College Board’s mission and a special supplement that was published as part of the 45th edition of the PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. He is the former chief executive of Chicago Public Schools. Prior to his appointment in Chicago, he was superintendent of schools for the Rochester City School District in New York.

Under Mr. Brizard’s leadership, both the Chicago Public Schools and the Rochester City School districts saw substantial improvements in student performance. He introduced a comprehensive change agenda across the Chicago Public Schools, including closing a significant budget gap of more than $1.3B over two fiscal years while preserving core reforms and investing in classrooms. He developed a new framework for teaching and the system saw record increases in student achievement, graduation rates and on college readiness benchmarks. Additionally, He created a blueprint for reform that will continue to serve as a roadmap for years to come.

Mr. Brizard’s experience also includes a 21-year career as an educator and administrator with the NYC Department of Education. He served as a regional superintendent, supervising more than 100 schools in the borough of Brooklyn and he also served as the system’s executive director for secondary schools.

Few leaders in American education can match the breadth and depth of Mr. Brizard’s experience across the education sector. His career spans public school systems, philanthropy, consulting, and governance—giving him rare insight into how education operates at every level, from classroom instruction to boardroom strategy. He has led large urban school districts serving hundreds of thousands of students, shaped national education policy through his work at the Gates Foundation, and guided the strategic direction of leading education companies and nonprofits.

Mr. Brizard serves as a national trustee of the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History. He served on the board of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, one of the nation’s largest K-12 educational content providers, where he played a key role in the company’s successful sale to Veritas Capital. He currently serves as a board advisor to BrainPOP/ KIRKBI A/S. He has held board leadership positions with TNTP and EL Education, two of the most influential organizations in educator talent development and curriculum design. He served as founding board chair of Anseye Pou Ayiti/Teach for Haiti, and as board chair of Transcend Education. This combination of for-profit and nonprofit board experience reflects his comprehensive understanding of how innovation, capital, and mission intersect to drive change in education.

Mr. Brizard is a Fellow of the Broad Center, a Fellow of the Pahara-Aspen Institute Education Fellowship, and a member of the Aspen Institute Global Leadership Network.

A commercial pilot, Mr. Brizard credits his parents—both of whom were educators—with inspiring him to pursue a career in education. He holds a master’s degree with honors in School Administration & Supervision, a master’s degree in Science Education, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the City University of New York/Queens College.

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