New America Releases a New Toolkit to Gather Insights from Under-Connected Families

Do you have concerns about whether students and families in your community or school have adequate, consistent access to the internet and digital devices? A new resource, Learning at Home While Under-Connected: A Toolkit for Parent Discussions and Data Collection in Your Community, is now available to help organizations get beyond the simple “yes or no” answers that come with typical surveys of internet access. This toolkit is designed for community leaders who are interested in gathering parent data and insights using research methods similar to those used in the Learning at Home While Under-Connected project, and is part of a project focusing on the needs of lower-income families who seek resources for learning at home during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.  The toolkit includes sample outreach flyers, survey questions, links to ready-made SurveyMonkey forms, and scripts and protocols for setting up discussion groups—all in Spanish and English. It also includes a quick three-page question set (also available here) that can be printed or distributed online. We hope this resource will ultimately help organizations to build partnerships that improve ecosystems of learning for today’s children and families.