Forum Guide to Digital Equity

Chapter 1: Introduction

What is Digital Equity?

Digital equity is the condition in which individuals and communities have the information technology (IT) capacity that is needed for full participation in the society and economy of the United States.²⁰ Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services.²¹

The current state of digital equity is fluid due to both rapid changes in technology and how people can access and use these technologies. Digital equity is not achieved solely by providing access to the Internet, devices,²² and information; internet connectivity needs to be fast enough and devices need to be robust enough to support full participation in social, educational, economic, and civic activities. Furthermore, even the fastest internet service and device performance will not achieve digital equity without digital literacy skills. Digital literacy refers to the necessary skills associated with using technology to enable users to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communicate information.²³ Digital literacy is essential for teaching and learning and requires cognitive, technical, and critical thinking skills.²⁴ In the classroom, digital equity involves allowing every student to learn from digitally literate teachers who understand how to use technology to both enhance learning and create quality learning experiences for all students, including those with special needs.

Why Digital Equity Matters

Digital inequity has been a long-standing issue in the education community. Education agencies have taken steps over the past decades to address digital inequity by providing internet access in schools and implementing 1:1 device programs. Schools have also provided internet access outside of schools in various ways through community partners, public Wi-Fi, and, more recently, through various programs that provide home internet access. However, barriers to digital equity persist:

• Household Finances—Some households do not have the financial resources to purchase devices or internet access.
• Inaccessibility—When persons with different abilities are not provided with equal opportunity to the physical tools and virtual environments needed to acquire the same information, visit the same places, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as persons without different abilities. Inaccessibility occurs when students with different abilities do not have an equal opportunity to receive the educational benefits and possibilities afforded by education technology, as well as equal treatment in the use of such technology.
• Inadequate Devices—Households that have multiple internet-connected smartphones may lack a computing device (such as a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet) that can adequately support student access to educational resources.
• Infrastructure Challenges—Some households have building materials, such as metal and concrete, that inhibit Wi-Fi signals. Location can also pose a barrier; some households are located in areas without the necessary infrastructure to obtain high-speed internet access or where access is cost-prohibitive to provide, while households within the National Radio Quiet Zone are restricted in their use of Wi-Fi.
• Inexperience—Limited technology resources and training for teachers can limit the adoption of technology and incorporation of digital learning experiences in the classroom. Parents, caregivers, and students with limited knowledge of how to work a computer, connect to a network, navigate websites, and access a learning management system (LMS) also pose a barrier, especially for younger students (K-2) who rely on caregivers for assistance.
• Insufficient Support and Training—Stakeholders who lack access to training and basic support, including a lack of IT support for families and a lack of focus on equity in teacher preparation and administrative leadership programs, will not be able to fully benefit from digital equity efforts.
• Language and Culture—Information, technology, and resources that are only available in English, such as a lack of translation services for English learners (ELs) or English-only IT support, pose a barrier.
• Oversaturation—Households that have multiple internet-connected devices, or neighborhoods where internet use exceeds that which can be adequately supported by providers, may lack the necessary saturation/bandwidth to maintain consistent high-speed access.
• Personal Choice—Some families choose not to use digital devices or be connected to the Internet.
• Security and Privacy Threats—Concerns over online safety, cyberbullying, and data collections can sometimes limit the adoption of digital equity solutions.
• Shared Devices—Households with more than one student often require multiple computing devices to accommodate student access to virtual learning resources. Student access to devices can also be impacted when parents require the use of a common household device to work from home.
• Slow Internet Speeds—Households that use hotspots, dial-up, or mobile connections to the Internet may not have the adequate speed to access tools and platforms, such as videoconferencing software that requires high-speed internet use. Relatedly, some home networks are configured to efficiently download data but are not configured to upload data at similar speeds, which is necessary for participating in video calls and conferences.
• Weather-related Outages—Severe weather events and storms can impact utilities and internet infrastructure, resulting in prolonged outages lasting weeks or months. Rural communities with limited connectivity and infrastructural capacity are particularly vulnerable to prolonged outages.

As more information, processes, and systems are made available online, a lack of access can prevent those who are seeking to join the education system from easily doing so. For example, a fully online student enrollment system cannot be easily accessed by families without internet access or computing devices at home. In the same way, an online job application system can pose a barrier to prospective employees who wish to apply for a job within the agency but lack the digital means to do so. Digital equity is important for all education stakeholders:

• Students—As schools have increasingly integrated online learning activities into coursework, students need access outside of school to continue their lessons, research, and homework. A lack of home internet and technology devices may not only hinder students’ ability to access educational resources at home but also may have a detrimental effect on student achievement.²⁵ Inequitable access can prevent students from continuing their learning outside of the school day, thus increasing the achievement gap. In addition to having an immediate impact on student achievement, digital inequity can have a long-term impact and exacerbate already stark disparities in outcomes. Adults who are not digitally literate have lower labor force participation rates and tend to work in lower-skilled jobs than digitally literate adults.²⁶
• Instructional Staff—Teachers, substitutes, and teaching assistants need devices, connectivity, and fluency with digital tools to deliver instruction, hold office hours, engage in professional development (PD), and connect with students, administrators, and parents virtually.
• Non-Instructional Staff—Counselors, social workers, student social and emotional support personnel, unified mental health teams, and others need to communicate and collaborate with students and families virtually to check on students or help them with counseling, mentoring, tutoring, college applications, financial aid completion, or other needs. State and local education agency (SEA and LEA) staff who work remotely, especially during public health emergencies or other crises, also need the hardware and internet connection necessary to perform their work duties.
• Leadership—Administrators need to be able to communicate with families and staff and connect virtually with third parties (such as vendors or other providers of school services).
• Agencies—SEAs and LEAs need to be able to communicate internally with staff and externally with stakeholders.
• Families—Parents, guardians, and caregivers need digital skills to support virtual and remote learning and homework. They also need to be able to participate in virtual parent-teacher conferences and access services for their children, such as mental health support and social-emotional learning (SEL) resources. Communication with families who do not have access to technology such as email, a cellphone, or a computer is also more difficult.
• Community Members—The public needs to be able to participate in virtual school board meetings and other digital means of educational decision-making, such as online surveys.
• Preservice Teacher Education—Future educators need to be equipped with the digital knowledge, skills, and abilities that will help them and their future students succeed in the classroom.

Flexible teaching and learning models necessitate access to curricula beyond traditional school hours. This is important for academic progression, as well as students’ SEL. Students and teachers need access to both devices and the Internet to participate in virtual education—one without the other is not sufficient. For example, the use of online or remote education when physical school buildings are closed because of natural disasters or public health emergencies raises questions of equity. If agencies substitute inclement weather days with online learning days, students and teachers who do not have access to a dedicated learning device and high-speed internet connectivity at home could be at a disadvantage. Staff may also need accommodations to work from home, and some agencies provide devices and internet access to staff who need it. Digital equity also expands access to online courses for students from smaller districts that may not have the capacity for advanced classes or curricular breadth.

The Current State of Digital Equity

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic further exacerbated the already broad gap between those who have adequate access to computing devices and the Internet and those who do not. The widespread adoption of remote education during the pandemic, coupled with the move to digital content by publishers at a time when many students are digitally native, made it increasingly important for agencies to address digital equity so that all students could receive an education. Virtual and remote learning during inclement weather and natural disasters, such as snow days, tornadoes, and hurricanes, has become more common. In some districts, students have historically been allowed to enroll in virtual sections of a dual-credit course offered at another high school in their district. The adoption of alternate modes of instruction during the pandemic has motivated more districts to expand access to these types of course offerings.

Data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic show how digital equity has changed over time. In the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, 88 percent of adults reported that computers were always or usually available to children for educational purposes, and 91 percent reported that internet access was always or usually available to children for educational purposes.²⁷ By September 2020, adults reported that student access had slightly improved: 91 percent reported that computers were always or usually available, and 93 percent reported that internet access was always or usually available.²⁸ While some progress had been made in the first 6 months of the pandemic, the gaps in student access to computers and the Internet remained a challenge.

In response to these persistent gaps, schools dedicated efforts to provide devices and internet connectivity to students who needed them. In September 2020, 59 percent of adults reportedthat their children’s school district or school provided a computer or device, but only 4 percent reported that internet access was paid for by the district or school.²⁹ By the following September, notable progress had been made to close digital equity gaps: 96 percent of schools reported issuing devices to students in need, and 70 percent provided in-home internet access to students without it. To connect students for whom in-home internet access was not feasible, 49 percent of schools provided internet access points at locations other than a student’s home.³⁰

Improved digital equity planning is needed going forward, as it will be important to solve equity and access issues when considering future education decisions. To help close the digital divide, the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act³¹ invests $65 billion to help ensure that every American has access to reliable, high-speed internet by investing in broadband infrastructure deployment and helping to lower service prices. The bill also increased broadband internet speed benchmarks to 100 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloads and 20 Mbps per second for uploads.

²⁰ Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, 47 U.S.C. § 1751–52 et seq. (2022)
²¹ U.S. Department of Education, Office for Education Technology. (June 2021). Keeping Students Connected and Learning: Strategies for Deploying School District Wireless Networks as a Sustainable Solution to Connect Students at Home. Retrieved October 29, 2021, from https://tech.ed.gov/wireless-brief/.
²² Digital devices that can be used to access an internet connection, including, but not limited to, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, netbook computers, notebook computers, handheld computers, and smartphones.
²³ Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, 47 U.S.C. § 1751–52 et seq. (2022)
²⁴ American Library Association. (2021). Digital Literacy. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://literacy.ala.org/digital-literacy/.
²⁵ National Assessment of Educational Progress. (n.d.). 2015 Survey Questionnaires Results: Students’ Computer Access and Use. Retrieved August 31, 2021, from https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/sq_computer/.
²⁶ U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (May 2018). A Description of U.S. Adults Who Are Not Digitally Literate. Retrieved December 27, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2018161.
²⁷ U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (May 2021). Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Elementary and Secondary Education System. Retrieved November 19, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/tcb.
²⁸ U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (May 2021). Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Elementary and Secondary Education System. Retrieved November 19, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/tcb.
²⁹ U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (May 2021). Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Elementary and Secondary Education System. Retrieved November 19, 2021, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/tcb.
³⁰ U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. (n.d.). September 2021 School Pulse Panel: Student Support. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://ies.ed.gov/schoolsurvey/2021SeptemberSPP/.
³¹ Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, 47 U.S.C. § 1751–52 et seq. (2022)