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It analyzes how unequal access to internet connectivity and devices across income levels, racial groups, and geographic settings harms remote learning participation and completion. Drawing on research such as Pew, it details specific obstacles like unreliable home internet, lack of computers, and reliance on smartphones, then outlines state approaches including expanded connectivity, device distribution, online learning platforms, and dedicated digital equity offices.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/closing-the-digital-divide-strategies-to-connect-students-families/584743/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/closing-the-digital-divide-strategies-to-connect-students-families/584743.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Damian","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the digital divide and why is it critical for students and families?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The digital divide refers to unequal access to internet connectivity and technology resources. During COVID-19, it became a major barrier to remote learning, affecting whether students could reach lessons, materials, and assignments.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Which home technology access gaps are most linked to remote learning difficulties?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Parents reported obstacles such as unreliable internet at home, no computer at home, and needing to use a smartphone to complete schoolwork. These gaps lead to students missing lessons and struggling to complete assignments.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How do income levels, race, and geography influence digital access in households?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The document reports differences by income (smartphone dependence and lack of broadband), by race (Black and Hispanic families less likely than white families to own computers and have high-speed internet), and by geography (rural communities have improved broadband adoption but still lag suburban areas and remain less likely to own key devices).","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},584743,1792167262,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":44,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},137451208677,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","T H E C O V I D C O N S T I T U E N C Y 20  \n22  \nClosing the Digital Divide:  \nStrategies to Connect Students & Families  \nTHE HONORABLE BOB WISE  \nFormer Governor | West Virginia  \nDR . JAVA ID SIDDIQI  \nPresident & CEO | The Hunt Institute  \n2  \nBackground  \nOver the past few decades, internet use, broadband adoption, and smartphone ownership have grown rapidly for all Americans. However, despite technology’s presence in daily life, access remains markedly different across demographic groups. Infact, for many Americans across racial groups, income tiers, and geographic regions, differences in access to internet connectivity and technology resources – also known as the “digital divide” – remains a critical barrier for many students and families, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.  \nThe digital divide has been a central topic in tech circles for decades, with researchers, advocates, and policymakers making efforts to examine this issue and bridge access gaps. This topic gained special attention during the pandemic, as many workplaces and schools moved online. Specifically, families with lower incomes were more likely to face obstacles in navigating this increasingly digital environment. According to a 2020 Pew Research Survey, 59 percent of parents with lower incomes who had children participating in remote learning due to the pandemic said their children would likely face at least one of three digital obstacles to their schooling, such as an unreliable internet at home, no computer at home, or needing to use a smartphone to complete schoolwork.  \nChallenges with digital access has translated into students missing lessons, being unable to access materials, and struggling to complete assignments. For example, the Zearn math app found that during COVID-19, low-income students accessed lessons significantly less compared to students in wealthier households. Even as students have returned to the classroom, school curricula will continue to become increasingly digital, and it will be critical for policymakers at all levels to leverage the  \nmomentum surrounding the digital divide to ensure that no student is left offline.  \nDigital Access Disparities Across Groups  \nSurvey research shows significant differences in household internet and technology access across income levels, racial groups, and geographic settings.  \nIncome Disparities  \nPew Research Center found that roughly a quarter of adults with annual household incomes below $30,000 (27 percent) say they are smartphone dependent for accessing the internet at home. About half of adults with lower incomes do not have home broadband services (57 percent) ora desktop or laptop computer (41 percent). By comparison, each of these technologies is nearly ubiquitous among adults in households earning $100,000 or more a year.  Roughly six in ten adults living in households earning $100,000 or more a year (63 percent) report having home broadband services, a smartphone, a desktop or laptop computer, and a tablet, compared with two in ten lower-income households earning less than $30,000 a year (23 percent).  \n6 in 10 parents with lower incomes who had children participating in remote learning during the pandemic said their children would face at least one of three obstacles: unreliable internet, lack of computer, or needing to use a smartphone to complete schoolwork.  \n© The Hunt Institute  \n3  \nINCOME DISPARITIES  \nHouseholds reporting having home broadband services, a smartphone, a desktop or laptop computer, and a tablet.  \nHouseholds earning $100,000 or more:  \n􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟  \nHouseholds earning less than $30,000:  \n􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟 􀀟  \nRacial Group Disparities  \nBlack and Hispanic families in the United States remain less likely than white families to own a traditional computer or have high-speed internet at home. Eight in ten white families (80 percent) report owning a desktop or laptop computer, compared with less than seven in ten Black families (69 percent) and Hi","cbCaiaXI0M0ll02D","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiaXI0M0ll02D","pdf",11314831,"English","# Background\n# Digital Access Disparities Across Groups\n## Income Disparities\n## Racial Group Disparities\n## Geographic Disparities\n# How States are Using Federal Relief Dollars to Address the Digital Divide","[{\"question\":\"What is the digital divide and why is it critical for students and families?\",\"answer\":\"The digital divide refers to unequal access to internet connectivity and technology resources. During COVID-19, it became a major barrier to remote learning, affecting whether students could reach lessons, materials, and assignments.\"},{\"question\":\"Which home technology access gaps are most linked to remote learning difficulties?\",\"answer\":\"Parents reported obstacles such as unreliable internet at home, no computer at home, and needing to use a smartphone to complete schoolwork. These gaps lead to students missing lessons and struggling to complete assignments.\"},{\"question\":\"How do income levels, race, and geography influence digital access in households?\",\"answer\":\"The document reports differences by income (smartphone dependence and lack of broadband), by race (Black and Hispanic families less likely than white families to own computers and have high-speed internet), and by geography (rural communities have improved broadband adoption but still lag suburban areas and remain less likely to own key devices).\"}]","Closing the Digital Divide: Strategies to Connect Students & Families | PDF",1792052178,23]