Back to School: Online Resources For All Students (New Schools For New Orleans)

Resource allocation in the United States of America has always been an issue and very difficult to get right. The unfair balance of these resources has caused issues for many in our world today. Many students in high-poverty areas score lower on standardized tests and are more likely to drop out or be held back. School improvement is vital to the success and future of civilization in America. This goal of proper resource allocation is nearly impossible to reach; however, the American community is now capable of finding ways to bring resources and textbooks to students through technology. The disproportion of resources to students in this country is evident and creates a cyclical effect that holds people in poverty without the fair opportunity to find success in this country. With technological advancements, we can find ways to close the gaps of unfairly allocated resources. Technology is advancing across the world and the majority of the population can access laptops, phones, and tablets. Technology resources are still unequal due to financial reasons, so what can schools do about the inequality? After scrolling through New Schools For New Orleans, makes it relevant that everyone must support our young children in America because they are our future. The Goal of New Schools For New Orleans is to help ensure a rigorous and appropriate curriculum with proper resources for all students in the New Orleans area.

America’s Mediocre Test Scores

Education needs to become a higher priority in America, and the team at NSNO states, “The NSNO team remains focused on helping the New Orleans system of schools grow from year to year. Coupling the new realities of COVID-19 with the rise in tensions over racial inequities, schools will be facing an incredibly challenging year all around. By drilling even further into the successful support systems and resource connections that we have built over the past few years, we expect that our work will have a substantive positive impact on the overall outlook for New Orleans schools and quality of public education.”

After looking through New School for New Orleans’ impressive non-profit, I felt urged to think about other ways technology could bring more resources to all students in America and allow each student to be successful in this competitive world.

Idea #1: Online Database

One of my first ideas was an online database accessible to all students in America with the appropriate resources to gain a fair education. Online textbooks have become accessible to all in the academic world. Online learning has also grown at an exponential rate due to covid 19. The virus has forced all schools to move into the virtual world in some aspects and many will continue to grow to the virtual world after the pandemic ends.

Idea #2: Free Online Library

A way to help all students get the proper textbooks and resources would be a free online library that has all the resources necessary to succeed at a younger age (ages 5 through 18). Students should be given the bare minimum to be successful and the bare minimum should consist of proper textbooks to support an appropriate curriculum. These textbooks do not necessarily have to be the newest edition. Textbooks on this potential database could be donated or bought for cheap by the government to ensure all students can make it.

The Education Trust shows how resource allocation should be viewed and the proper guidelines that must be followed to ensure all resources are given out correctly. The Education Trust article, Funding Gaps 2018, shows the gaps in educational resources in low-income areas and how it disproportionately affects students of color and or minorities.

https://edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ESSA_FactSheet__Resource-Allocation-Reviews_Hyperlinks-UPDATED.pdf

Funding Gaps 2018

Creating an online resource of this size and capabilities would be very costly and need a lot of support from everyone in America to build the correct library. After thinking about how this web page could be created, I realized this would need to be backed by the government to be within all public schools. This online resource could create new opportunities for students in need while also saving money for the parents. This would help more students from high poverty areas reach a further education like university and more. As New Schools for New Orleans continues to ensure pressure that all students in the New Orleans area receive a proper education, it must also think about ways to help all students receive the appropriate resources in the academic world.

https://apps.urban.org/features/school-funding-do-poor-kids-get-fair-share/

The large difference in funding for students’ education for poor vs. non-poor students is apparent. Students in areas of poverty receive worse education just because of funding to the schools in those areas. It is great to see Louisiana making a difference in the funding for people in need. I would like to think some of this is due to New Schools For New Orleans. This gap will be incredibly hard to change. However, if we can set up all students in America with the bare minimum of resources (an online database with the necessary textbooks for a young student to have an opportunity to be successful) then less funding would be relevant to these local governments. Aid in this way from the federal government could be extremely helpful in closing the unequal gap in the education system.

Ben Halle is a student in the Digital Civic Engagement class, which is taught by Kelley Crawford and Renee Peck at Tulane University. You can reach her at bhalle@tulane.edu. This, too, is a launching point: Ben Halle, a student in the Digital Civic Engagement class taught by Kelley Crawford and Renee Peck at Tulane, was inspired to write this article through her abundant love for all students.