EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The rapid and continued global proliferation of internet usage and digital tools and technologies over the last 26 years since the introduction of the World Wide Web has been well documented. Equally well documented are ever-changing shifts in skills necessary for learning, working, and engaging in the world with new networks, digital tools, and technologies. Researchers and policymakers agree that deep learning experiences with digital texts and tools shape life options. Accordingly, supporting students’ development of what we refer to as digital literacies is critical for teachers, school leaders, community educators, and other educational stakeholders. However, many educational settings, including schools and community centers, do not have the necessary resources – including trained teachers and personnel as well as access to technologies and digital networks – to make digital literacies a central component of instruction and learning. The lack of clear policies to guide teaching and learning, professional development, leadership, infrastructure building, and research is a key factor driving these disparities. Based on a review of research related to digital literacies, this policy brief identifies five action items related both to supporting the development of digital literacies through improving literacies instruction and increasing access to digital literacies for all learners. INTRODUCTION In the 26 years since the creation of the World Wide Web, the introduction of new digital technologies, tools, platforms, networks, and devices has continued rapidly and unceasingly. Cell phone ownership is now nearly ubiquitous for adults in the United States. 1 And ownership and usage of digital tools and technologies has changed the way Americans work, live, and learn. Knowledge about technology, including an understanding of a range of devices (e.g., laptop, tablet, phone, gaming system, GPS device), platforms (e.g., iOS, Android), applications (e.g. Word, Adobe, Skype), and social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram) and how to use them independently and with each other when appropriate is essential knowledge for participating in civic, professional, and social life today. But in addition Access, Equity, and Empowerment: Supporting Digital Literacies for All Learners By Nathan C. Phillips, University of Illinois at Chicago Michael Manderino, Northern Illinois University http://ruepi.uic.edu about the authors nathan Phillips is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Michael Manderino is an Assistant Professor in Literacy and Elementary Education in the College of Education at Northern Illinois University. policy BRIEF UIC Research on Urban Education Policy Initiative Vol. 4, Book 3 Pew Internet and American Life Project, Pew Research Center (2012). Retrieved March 10, 2015 from http://www.pewinternet.org. 1