ERIC Number: ED609427
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 10
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Digital Divide and COVID-19: Teachers' Perceptions of Inequities in Students' Internet Access and Participation in Remote Learning. Data Note: Insights from the American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A134-3
Stelitano, Laura; Doan, Sy; Woo, Ashley; Diliberti, Melissa; Kaufman, Julia H.; Henry, Daniella
RAND Corporation
In the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, researchers estimate that the teachers of roughly 50 million K-12 public school students have had to transition to remote instruction. Emerging research about the impact of the pandemic on schooling consistently reveals that school closures have presented significant hurdles to effective instruction, particularly for children and youth in low-income families and other typically underserved student groups. Surveys from spring 2020 revealed that during school closures, schools and teachers faced challenges related to student engagement and students' lack of internet access. Moreover, these challenges were more prominent in high-poverty schools than low-poverty schools. Disparities in internet access for households with higher levels of poverty and in rural areas were documented before the pandemic began. Access to the internet remains a serious concern for teachers' capacity to deliver high-quality remote instruction during the 2020-2021 school year. This Data Note investigates the relationship between teachers' reports of their students' internet access and teachers' interaction with students and families during pandemic-related school closures. State and nationally representative survey data from nearly 6,000 teachers was used for these analyses. Using these data, the following research questions are explored: (1) To what extent did teachers report that limited technology access was a barrier to providing instruction during school closures? (2) How do teacher reports of their students' internet access vary by school demographic factors (e.g., school urbanicity, poverty level, and state)? and (3) How do teacher reports of their students' internet access relate to their reports of students' work completion and their ability to communicate with families? [For a related report, "American Instructional Resources Surveys: 2019 Technical Documentation and Survey Results. Research Report. RR-4402-BMGF/SFF/OFF," see ED605304.]
Descriptors: Access to Computers, Disadvantaged, Internet, COVID-19, Pandemics, Teacher Attitudes, Equal Education, Distance Education, Public Schools, School Closing, Low Income Students, Teacher Student Relationship, Interaction, Technology Uses in Education, Barriers, School Demography, Family School Relationship, Student Participation, Social Differences, Poverty, Academic Achievement
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Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Policymakers; Practitioners; Researchers
Language: English
Sponsor: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Authoring Institution: RAND Education and Labor
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A