Fighting for educational equity and digital literacy in the era of Trump

Last month, federal efforts to cut nearly 1,400 Department of Education staffers were approved by the Supreme Court, potentially worsening staffing shortages for early childhood educators, student loans and more. While the implications of this dismantling on New York state are unclear, head educators appear to be meeting this moment by doubling down on equity and digital literacy. 

“Our classes today are at the intersection of rapid technological change, cultural transformation and historic polarization,” said Betty Rosa, commissioner of the state Education Department and president of the University of the State of New York in her keynote address at City and State’s annual Education Summit held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Lower Manhattan Thursday. 

 “We are teaching children who are both more connected and in some ways more isolated than generations before them,” she told attendees. “So when we talk about innovation, it must mean more than gadgets and technology. It must mean rethinking what we teach and how we teach it.” 

In adapting to this brave new world, Rosa stressed the importance of media literacy, urging educators to equip students with the tools to filter through online misinformation. 

“One of the greatest threats to our democracy and to our young people is not simply what they don't know, it's what they think they know and may not actually be true,” said Rosa. “Misinformation and disinformation are currently one of the greatest threats to our students and to our democracy. We cannot assume that because students are adept in the digital world, they are critical thinkers.” 

As a new “pillar” of modern education akin to reading and math, experts urged attendees to harness automation tools like artificial intelligence, to help students become more culturally competent and civically-minded.

Despite a significant uptick in demand for digital curriculums, experts warned that the digital divide is still holding students back. While efforts to bridge gaps such as connectivity efforts through ConnectALL spurred during the COVID-19 pandemic – these efforts have slowed down, leaving many underserved youth struggling to keep up. 

“I visit schools on a regular basis as the chair, and students tell me that I wish we had access and close the digital divide and close the equity access,” said Council Member Rita Joseph, chair of the committee on education. “We saw scores go up, but we still see a lot of gaps in our subgroups.” 

Paired with these investments, New York City public school students saw an improvement in reading and math levels through the city’s NYC Reads and NYC Solves initiatives. Through additional coaching sessions deployed across elementary, middle and high schools, more students met the state’s bar for English Language Arts proficiency, increasing by 7.2 points since 2024, (a jump from 49.1% to 56.3%), with a comparative increase in math levels by 3.5 points since 2024, (53.4% to 56.9%). These rates are the highest since state standards were set in 2012. 

“Quite simply, this was born out of a desire to make sure that we stopped talking about kids not being able to read and do math, but to actually do something about it,” said Melissa Aviles-Ramos, chancellor of New York City public schools and second keynote speaker of the event.

“Because for far too long, we would say the kids can't read,” she added. “But the problem wasn't the kids. It's not that the kids couldn't read, it's that we weren't teaching teachers how to teach them to read and do math.” 

NYC Reads programs have been implemented in over 800 of the city’s K-5 schools, with 102 middle schools to be included next fall, benefitting over 14,000 classrooms. For NYC Solves, over 5100 classrooms benefit from coaching sessions, with 89% of school leaders and 71% of teachers agreeing that coaching improves learning. 

Additionally, the city’s Future Ready NYC program, aimed at bridging gaps in professional learning opportunities have helped underprivileged students access internships, jobs and college counseling. 

“This initiative is in some of our most challenged and minorityized because we're not minorities, we are minorityized in those communities, “said Aviles-Ramos. “What our results tell us, what our AP exam data tells us is that we truly have an opportunity gap, not an achievement gap.” 

Aviles-Ramos noted that post secondary enrollments increased by nearly five points, with the state seeing the highest number of students taking and passing AP exams, especially among BIPOC youth. But as underresourced families struggle with housing and food insecurity, immigration hurdles and sometimes domestic violence, the city’s Family Connectors have helped gather resources to ensure that children remain in school. 

“This is a pivotal moment in our states and our nation's history,” said Rosa earlier during her remarks. “It's a time where institutions are being tested, when trust is being questioned, and when young people are looking to all of us in this room and beyond for both direction and inspiration.”