Entries by CNK Staff

US Chinatowns struggling in pandemic

CNK Director Paul Ong was recently featured as a guest on The World, a public radio program and podcast that crosses borders and time zones to bring home the stories that matter. Ong discussed how small businesses across the country have struggled during the pandemic, but many located in Chinatowns have been hit especially hard and […]

Assessing Vulnerability Indicators and Race/Ethnicity

A new report by UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and Ong & Associates assesses four vulnerability indicators that are being used by public agencies as policy tools to select the most vulnerable neighborhoods for interventions. These indicators can play a role in prioritizing the provision of pandemic resources and […]

Nearly a Year Into Remote Learning ‘Digital Divide’ Persists as Key Educational Threat, as Census Data Show 1 in 3 Households Still Struggling With Limited Tech Access

UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge was recently featured in an article centering on how the digital divide remains as a critical educational disparity during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Referencing the recent CNK report done in collaboration with the the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, the article highlights how lack of internet access has […]

Disparities in the Distribution of Paycheck Protection Program Funds

In a collaborative report with the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative (LPPI), CNK and LPPI researchers find that businesses in California’s communities of color are being left behind because they are receiving far less from the $600 billion in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program. The Paycheck Protection Program was established as part of the […]

Despite improved access, digital divide persists for minority, low-income students

Our latest report, COVID-19 and the Digital Divide in Virtual Learning, Fall 2020, was recently featured in Phys.org article unpacking the digital divide and its disproportionate impacts. Done in collaboration with the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, the article features comments from Wasserman Dean Tina Christie and CNK director Paul Ong. “This […]

Report: Schools should look for long-term solutions to digital divide

Our recently released report, COVID-19 and the Digital Divide in Virtual Learning, Fall 2020, was featured in a news article by K-12 Dive that debriefed how schools and educators should work toward innovative solutions to eliminate the growing digital divide that disproportionately affects students from communities of color and low-income households. “We need to realize the […]

COVID-19 and the Digital Divide in Virtual Learning, Fall 2020

With many schools closed and students working remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this new report by CNK indicates improved access to computers and the internet during the Fall school term, but confirms a continuing and persistent digital divide, especially for Black, Hispanic and low -income students. Using data from the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey, […]

Chinatown Businesses Face a Particularly Brutal Winter

Weeks before the first reported U.S. case of Covid-19, the future pandemic was already inflicting economic damage in the Chinatowns of several U.S. cities. During what should have been the busiest time of the year in these Asian-American enclaves, business was down. Now, as the country copes with a new surge of infections and braces for a second year […]

COVID-19 Vulnerability Indicators: California Data for Equity in Public Health Decision-Making

To help slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives, UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge and UCLA BRITE Center for Science, Research, and Policy developed vulnerability indicators aimed at identifying which neighborhoods in California are at most risk of becoming impacted by COVID-19 infections. The map includes four important indicators known to significantly increase a person’s medical […]

‘Ugly, Ugly Time’: Work-From-Home Era Crushes U.S. Dry Cleaners

UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge was recently featured in an article covering how the pandemic has disproportionately impacted dry cleaning small businesses throughout America. One in sex have closed or gone bankrupt already, and many more won’t survive without another round of stimulus, according to the National Cleaners Association. Nationwide, the industry is likely booking […]