Taking the Pulse of High School Student Experiences in America

Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF), myCollegeOptions and the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) convened a discussion Capitol Hill on April 29th to discuss the results of Phase 1 of the new study entitled ‘Taking the Pulse of the High School Student Experience in America’. The research is designed to take an in-depth look at the views of students across a wide variety of topics, starting with access to technology.

The event was opened by Antonio Tijerino, President & CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation who briefly explained the background to the research. Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, from the Federal Communications Commission provided keynote remarks. She highlighted the issues that arise for students who do not have access to the Internet for their homework. She talked about the lengths that children go to get access, including working in parking lots outside fast food chains. She also outlined some of the innovative responses that have been developed around the country, including putting wi-fi on school buses. In summary she called on all those in attendance to do what they can to ‘close the homework gap’.

Click here to access full remarks by Commissioner Rosenworcel.

The panel discussion featured Roberto Rodríguez from the White House Domestic Policy Council, serving as Special Assistant to the President for Education; Dr. Nicol Turner-Lee who works as VP and Chief Research and Policy Officer for Minority Media Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC); Neil Campbell who is the Policy Director for Personalized and Blended Learning for Foundation for Excellence in Education; and Rosa Mendoza who is the Executive Director for Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership (HTTP). A wide-range of topics were covered including the specific issues that Hispanic and African-American families face. The need to boost access and the impact that that will have on their lives was a particularly important discussion. The developments in teaching and learning and their corresponding need for technology were debated, as was the importance of encouraging children to be creators and not just consumers.

The full findings of the study can be found here:
Taking the Pulse of High School Student Experiences in America
Phase One: Access to Technology