Digital Equity and School Leadership in a Post-Digital World - Article

Oct 15, 2026

This study examines digital equity realities in U.S. K-12 schools and the influence of school leadership on achieving digital equity. Using an equity and social-justice lens applied to Selwyn’s three interlocking elements—access, educational practices, and social context—the study conceptualizes a digital-equity framework. A systematic literature review then evaluates current digital-equity and leadership conditions, showing inequitable technology access, exclusionary or punitive technology use, and an unjust social context shaping leadership’s role.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Design/Approach/Methods

Findings

Keywords

Introduction

Background and context

Digital divide and digital equity

Digital Equity and School Leadership in a Post-Digital World Katrina Liu (刘艳) University of Nevada, Las Vegas Rebecca Tschinkel University of Nevada, Las Vegas Richard Miller University of Nevada, Las Vegas ECNU Review of Education 2024, Vol. 7(3) 762–783 © The Author(s) 2024 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/20965311231224083](DOI: 10.1177/20965311231224083)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/20965311231224083)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: This study analyzes digital equity realities in U.S. K-12 schools and the role that school leadership plays in digital equity. Design/Approach/Methods: Based on Selwyn’s conception of technology as three interlocking elements (access, educational practices, and social context), we applied the ideals of equity and social justice to each of the three elements to conceptualize a framework of digital equity, situating school practice in the larger social, cultural, and political context of the United States. Guided by this framework, we conducted a systematic literature review of the current state of digital equity and school leadership in K-12 schools. Findings: The ﬁndings demonstrate that U.S. K-12 schools face digital inequity issues, including inequitable access to technology, exclusionary and punitive educational practices using technology, and an unjust social context for technology in schools. These ﬁndings indicate that school leadership plays an important role in digital inequity. Corresponding author: Katrina Liu, Department of Teaching and Learning, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box \#453005, Las Vegas, NV 89154-3005, USA. Email: [katrina.liu@unlv.edu](katrina.liu@unlv.edu) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as speciﬁed on the SAGE and Open Access page ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Originality/Value: Based on these ﬁndings, we present a framework to assist K-12 leaders in enhancing digital equity, including addressing educational inequities and creating an inclusive social context for the school, ensuring equitable accessibility to technology in schools, and supporting teachers in developing meaningful and equitable practices using technology to address the opportunity gaps encountered by marginalized learners. Keywords Critical Race Theory, digital equity, K-12 schools, school leadership, technology integration Date received: 21 October 2021; revised: 26 May 2023, 20 September 2023; accepted: 20 November 2023 Introduction It has been 69 years since Brown vs. Board of Education (Brown hereafter) ruled that all children, especially students of color and those historically marginalized in the United States, should receive fair and equitable education. Over that time, educational technology changed drastically from lectures, textbooks, chalk, and blackboards to today’s podcasts, chrome books, smartboards, virtual reality, and AI. Education has participated as enthusiastically as other sectors of society in the transition to a post-digital world (Peters & Besley, 2019) in which digital technology is part of the taken-for-granted base upon which the superstructures of society depend. How has the rise of postdigital education operated in the context of the promise of equity proffered by Brown? We know that within U.S. public education in general, the promise of Brown has not yet been fulﬁlled. Students of color are still disadvantaged by education deb

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

The study analyzes digital equity realities in U.S. K-12 schools and examines the role school leadership plays in digital equity.

How does the study conceptualize digital equity?

It uses Selwyn’s three interlocking elements—access, educational practices, and social context—and applies equity and social-justice ideals to each to form a digital-equity framework.

What key findings emerge about U.S. K-12 digital equity?

The findings indicate digital inequity driven by inequitable access to technology, exclusionary and punitive technology-based educational practices, and an unjust social context in schools.

Oct 15, 2026

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