Research

Access to technology is essential to educational success as well as workforce and community development. However, geographical, income-based, and racial/ethnic disparities in
technology access persist.

This “digital divide”—the gap between people who have sufficient knowledge of and access to technology and those who do not—can perpetuate and even worsen socioeconomic and other disparities for already underserved groups.

This brief takes a closer look at one particular group: students who have access to only one device at home, a group representing 14% of all survey respondents.

Taking a deeper dive into the data on students with access to only one device is important because these students may face challenges not faced by students with access to two or more devices.

Access to technology is essential to educational success as well as workforce and community development. However, geographical, income-based, and racial/ethnic disparities in
technology access persist.

This “digital divide”—the gap between people who have sufficient knowledge of and access to technology and those who do not—can perpetuate and even worsen socioeconomic and other disparities for already underserved groups.

The digital divide has also been referred to as the “homework gap,” due to the challenges that students in technology-deficient circumstances face when trying to do their homework. This gap continues to widen as teachers incorporate internet-based learning into their daily curricula.