Leadership San Antonio Sets $100,000 Fundraising Goal to Close the Digital Divide for Edgewood ISD Students
SAN ANTONIO (November 16, 2020) – Nearly 40% of San Antonio households lack broadband internet access.
According to a Dallas Fed analysis of 2018 American Community Survey data, San Antonio ranks as the 15th worst
connected U.S. city (of over 100,000 households).
Lack of broadband connectivity affects student outcomes. Students without high-speed internet access are less likely to
pursue higher education, and San Antonio is disproportionately affected by this challenge.
● For students without a home internet subscription or who only have cell phone access to the internet:
47% plan to complete a post-secondary program.
● For students with a slower home internet subscription: 60% plan to complete a post-secondary program.
● For students with a fast home internet subscription: 65% plan to complete a post-secondary program.
● Students with high speed home internet get better grades.
● On average, the GPA of students with home internet subscriptions is a half letter grade higher, the difference
between a B and B- average.
● Students with higher digital skills are more likely to pursue STEM-related professions. Students who score
moderately lower in digital skills, e.g., one standard deviation below average, are 19% less likely to be interested
in a STEM-related career.
Leadership San Antonio Class of 42 with the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce are launching a device campaign
“Champions for Children” to raise $100,000 for Edgewood ISD to ensure all students have an up-to-date,
age-appropriate device for virtual learning.
The campaign will run until January 1, 2021
“2020 has proven to be a challenging year for everyone, and we are all experiencing resource constraints. While we are
all in this together, we are also disproportionately impacted. There is an opportunity for the Leadership San Antonio
Alumni network to harness its resources, network, and collective power to ensure the children of San Antonio, especially
those most impacted by the digital divide, are not further behind due to the lack of an updated device. This is an
opportunity to give back to the children of San Antonio,” said Dalia Flores Contreras, Interim CEO City Education
Partners.
How to be a Champion for Children?
Be a Champion for Children to ensure Edgewood ISD students have an age appropriate, up-to-date device in their hands:
● $100 secure a tablet for an elementary school student
● $150 secure a refurbished laptop for a middle/high school student
● $300 secure a new laptop for a middle/high school student
For more information about Champions for Children, visit:
More information:
What is the Digital Divide?: The gap between people who have access to broadband connectivity and know how to use
the internet and those who do not have such access or knowledge.
Who is on the wrong side of the digital divide?: People living in low income neighborhoods (lack of affordability), rural
populations (lack of access), those with less formal education, the elderly and minorities (lack of opportunity).
Households with broadband access with incomes above $150,000 per year have a subscription rate of 80%, while
households with incomes under $25,000 per year, the rate is 20% (U.S. Census, ACS, 2016).
In most urban areas, 30% of households earning less than $50,000 a year do not have an internet subscription, according
to the U.S. Census Bureau.