1. What proportion of students eligible for Chicago Connected opted to participate in the program?
2. Did students’ eligibility for, and participation in, Chicago Connected affect: a) engagement in remote learning during the fall 2020 semester and b) fall 2020 and spring 2021 GPAs?
3. Did the effects of program eligibility and participation on these outcomes differ for students with high vs. low pre-pandemic GPAs?
This study examined the educational engagement and achievement effects of Chicago Connected, a COVID-19 pandemic-era broadband internet expansion initiative led by Kids First Chicago, the City of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), philanthropic donors, and other stakeholders. It aimed to connect 100,000 students in 60,000 households to free broadband internet service for up to four years, starting in the summer of 2020. These analyses focused on students in grades 5-8. This study raises questions and considerations about students' engagement and technology:
- As access to technology continues to expand, families, educators, and policymakers need to know which students are most likely to need additional supports. Researchers can help clarify what types of supports would be most effective through additional mixed-methods studies.
- Researchers can pursue high-quality evidence on how technology influences outcomes and how the effects of access may vary for different student groups.
- ...and more. See the full research summary snapshot for details.
Key Findings
- About 70% of 5th-8th grade students continuously enrolled in non-charter CPS schools since fall 2017 were deemed eligible in summer or fall 2020 for Chicago Connected, based on their level of socioeconomic disadvantage. Approximately 30% of eligible students opted to participate, receiving either a Chicago Connected-sponsored wired connection and/or hotspot device.
- Differences in engagement and achievement between students with high and low GPAs grew more sharply during the pandemic period among Chicago Connected participants, compared to otherwise similar, eligible non-participants.
- Among eligible students, participation was associated with an increase in remote learning engagement for students with high pre-pandemic GPAs (by 0.06 SD) and a decrease in remote learning engagement for students with low pre-pandemic GPAs (by 0.11 SD).
- For students with high pre-pandemic GPAs, eligibility was associated with an increase in remote learning engagement, measured in fall 2020 (by 0.04 SD), but a decrease in remote learning engagement for students with low pre-pandemic GPAs (by 0.10 SD). Among eligible students, participation was associated with a 0.06 point higher fall 2020 GPA for students with high pre-pandemic GPAs. For students with low pre-pandemic GPAs, participation was associated with a fall 2020 GPA that was 0.05 points lower.
- Spring 2021 GPAs showed a similar pattern, with a 0.05 point higher GPA for students with high-pre-pandemic GPAs, and a 0.05 point lower GPA for students with low pre-pandemic GPAs.
- Program eligibility was associated with a slightly lower fall 2020 GPA among the full analytic sample, but the magnitude (-0.05 GPA points) did not vary by students’ pre-pandemic academic performance.
